Kid’s Summer Fun Program At The East End Seaport Museum For Ages 7 - 11 Years Old
Every Tuesday In July For 5 Weeks | 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Register Here & Indicate On The Form The Session(s) Your Child Will Attend:
Each session is $45 per child, per session.
All sessions will be conducted by Naturalists from the Group for the East End and supervised by Museum Staff.
July 1st Session 1: Estuary Invertebrates
This session would begin with an introduction to marine invertebrates found around eastern Long Island. We would have numerous specimens for the children to see and handle, including the two common groups of mollusks [gastropods (e.g., whelks, moon snails, periwinkles, etc.) and bivalves (clams, mussels, scallops, oysters, etc.)], crustaceans (various crabs), echinoderms (sea urchins, sea stars, sand dollars), porifera (sea sponges), and others (e.g., horseshoe crabs). Following this introduction we will walk to the nearby beach (between Clark Street and Fourth Street) for a beach-combing expedition.
July 8th Session 2: Flying Insects (Skipper Horton Park Field Trip)
Students will be introduced to insects generally and their role in pollination of plants. Specific groups of flying insects will be discussed, including lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), odonates (dragonflies and damselflies), hymenoptera (bees, wasps, hornets), coleoptera (beetles), orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, crickets), and hemiptera (true bugs). We will search the park grounds in search of the various insect groups, making close observations of several individuals.
July 15th Session 3: Estuary Wade
For this session, we will walk to Widows Hole for seine and dip net activities. With supervision, children will wade in shallow waters (no deeper than waist high) in efforts to capture small fish, crabs, shrimp, mollusks, comb jellies, etc. Children will need to wear water shoes for this activity and bring a towel. We will place captured creatures in an aquarium on a table on the beach for close observation. All captured animals will be released back to the bay at the end of the activity.
July 22nd Session 4: Rock Olympics (Field Trip)
This field trip could take place at Inlet Pond County Park. Children will be paired off in teams of two for various geology-based competitions. Up to five different competitions are possible, depending on how much time we have (Magnetite Race, Skipping Stones, Building Cairns, Rainbow of Rocks, Rock Star).
July 29th Session 5: Scavenger Hunt Extravaganza
Children will be placed in 3 or 4 teams, with each adult-guided team venturing from the museum to Fifth-Street Beach and back, on a timed scavenger hunt in which they must find numerous ecological items, answer various nature-related questions, and complete a handful of simple physical challenges.