Date: Fri 02-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

schools-Audubon-marine-life

Full Text:

Parents And Kids Learn About Marine Life Together

(with cuts)

BY MICHELE HOGAN

Wading through the cold ocean water, long nets between them, Head O' Meadow

School parent volunteers spent Friday morning rounding up fish, shrimp and

crabs near Fairfield.

To the students' delight, the parents met with great success. They brought

grass shrimp, hermit crabs, killifish, Japanese shore crabs and lots of

periwinkles for the kindergarten to second grade children to care for over the

winter months.

These small creatures were poured from zip-lock bags into their new habitat, a

specially prepared salt-water aquarium for each classroom.

This is the first time the salt-water tank unit by the Audubon Society has

been done at Head O' Meadow School, although it has been done by one teacher

in the town of Fairfield for ten years.

Jim Sirch, director of education for the Connecticut Audubon Society said that

this year the program has been expanded to 11 schools in Connecticut, but HOM

is the only one in Newtown.

Cheryl Barbour, PTA co-chair who had volunteered with this program in

Fairfield, helped bring it to HOM.

Mr Sirch explained that the unit provides on-going science enrichment for the

youngsters, as they observe changes and behavior of sea creatures over the

whole year. He said "It's quite different from seeing it for a second on TV."

He also pointed out that kids really enjoy the program and benefit from the

added parental involvement within the school.

But mostly, this program, like all Audubon programs, aims to help children

develop a sense of caring and empathy for the natural world around them.

The HOM children welcomed the responsibility of caring for their new charges.

They wanted to name them, and learn all their was to learn about taking care

of them.

Parents explained to the students that they would be building a habitat for

the creatures that would make them comfortable and happy. Since the classroom

was part of their new habitat, they had to make sure that the amount of

sunlight and temperature of the room would be appropriate for the tank

ecosystem.

They would also do as much as they could to make the tank feel like home for

the sea creatures.

Transplanting as much of the shoreline habitat as they could, parents scooped

crushed shells, pebbles, and even the stinky black "sand" in layers in the

bottom of the tank.

Parents told the children that the crushed shells carry bacteria to the tanks

which would help keep the tank clean. Children said that the snails would help

keep the tank clean too, and the parents agreed.

But to keep the water fresh enough for the animals to live, Sue Bonocci,

parent volunteer, explained that they need a siphon to bring the water through

a filter.

Sam Morrison, second grade student in Janice Bernard's class, wanted to know

how the ocean keeps clean, because he knew that it doesn't have a siphon and

filter.

Parents turned to Mr Sirch, who explained to the class how plankton and

bacteria do the job for the oceans, but are somewhat less reliable in a small

tank.

Students would have to keep careful track on what is going on in the tank to

make sure the water is clean and the animals are healthy in the tank.

Mrs Malloy, parent volunteer, gave the class a book for recording scientific

observations.

Students said that they could make notes on whether the animals moved, what

they ate, if they are fighting and if they come out of their shells, along

with anything else they observed.

Mrs Bernard said that the children understand that even if they do everything

right, a tank animal might die, just as an ocean animal might die.

In the spring, the first graders will return the aquarium dwellers to the

ocean, when they go to Sherwood Island for their annual field trip.

The HOM PTA and Audubon Society wanted to thank Praxair Inc of Danbury for

donating the money for start-up costs and supplies.

For more information on this or other Audubon programs, contact Jim Sirch at

the Audubon Society.