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This Flashback Friday we would like to revisit some of the fun things we did on Facebook this week! Make sure you follow us there for updated content and activities in this time of "all things virtual". Take a look at our fun backyard history, science and math ideas!
We had a blast with all of the school groups we welcomed aboard this week. We want to say thank you to those schools for coming and visiting us while they are wrapping up the school year! The groups helped us clean up a simulated oil spill and created new land forms in our augmented reality ocean. The students experienced our animal room and got up close to some of our animal friends, such as a sea star and a horseshoe crab. Our classroom said goodbye to the last of the tree frogs this week. The frogs were raised from wild caught tadpoles. A new project is starting up here, blue bird habitat boxes! The first box was installed on Friday and all of us are hoping to see birds soon! The owner of Wild Birds Unlimited of Mt. Pleasant came and put it in for us. She also answered a few questions for us in this video clip.
Yesterday, Dr. Erik Sotka of the College of Charleston set out some home-made plankton "nets" to catch a variety of baby crab species! Did you know that juvenile crabs found in salt water ecosystems are actually plankton? So cool! Dr. Sotka also devised a neat way to trap these babies so his students can take a closer look. Using air filters like the ones found in schools and homes, he framed them in PVC to hold them rigid against the current and hung them here at Patriots Point!
 Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Photo: NOAA Last week, President Obama created the largest protected area anywhere on Earth by quadrupling the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument's size to 528,578 square miles. That area is larger than all the national parks combined! What are some benefits to protecting this portion of the ocean? Papahānaumokuākea is home to many endangered species, including sea turtles, whales and Hawaiian monk seals. Click here to learn more about this new marine reserve!
 Coral reefs typically thrive in clear, sunlit tropical waters. However, new ocean exploration challenged that norm with the recent discovery of a reef at the silty mouth of the Amazon River. The massive amount of fresh water, including the sediment that is brought along with it, make the presence of this reef very unexpected. Check it all out here.
Check out this free event this Saturday morning. Email Hannah Giddens, our Science Programs Coordinator with any questions. How many eyes do you think a horseshoe crab has? Two? Four? Five? They actually have 10! These eyes are spread out over the organism's body including on its shell, tail, and near its mouth to help with navigation while swimming!   Hermit crabs are pretty funky little crabs. Instead of a hard shell, they have a soft abdomen. Hermit crabs are salvage empty seashells, such as whelk shells, to protect themselves. Once the crab gets too big, it'll leave its shell and look for a hew one.
Did you know, if a hermit crab finds a new shell but realizes its too big, it will wait next to this shell for up to eight hours. During this time other hermit crabs may come along and check out this new possible shell. If they also find it too big they will join in on the waiting game. If one hermit crab is able to claim the new larger shell, all the other hermit crabs will start switching existing shells in sequence, with each hermit crab "moving" up one shell size bigger. It works just like hand-me-downs! Written by Malia Canann |
