provided to The Santiva Chronicle
As summer comes to an end, Sanibel Sea School’s Homeschool at Sea courses are in full swing. Homeschool groups meet once a month from September to May for field-based, customized, marine science curriculum.
Marine Science Educators work closely with groups to design a year’s worth of exciting topics that fit into their ongoing coursework. “It’s a great challenge for our education team to take a concept that students are studying during the year and reinforce it from a local marine perspective,” says Youth Education Director Shannon Stainken.
Educators carefully plan topics annually based on tides, seasonality, and migrations. For instance, when low tide hit in the afternoon during the week of September 13th, one homeschool group studied the intertidal zone! They explored a sand flat and tide pools.
Each time the group discovered an animal they stopped to observe its adaptations for surviving in the intertidal zone. Their favorite creatures were the King’s Crown Conchs who slowly recede into their shells and seal themselves in with an operculum to prevent desiccation, or drying out.
For more information on Homeschool at Sea, call (239) 472-8585 or email sanibelseaschool@sccf.org. Scholarships are available.
Part of the SCCF (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation) Family, Sanibel Sea School’s mission is to improve the ocean’s future, one person at a time.
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