We're Goin' Seaside, Are You??

We're gearing up for a great year of Marine Biology and Oceanography with the very illustrious and nautre savvy Theresa from Lapaz Home Learning!

We have our book, we know where to find the lesson plans ;-)

Theresa will be keeping track of their year at her lovely new blog "Fieldwork" and we just may follow suit!

Violet is in 8th grade this year, but I'm thinking this is going to be some early credits for her for high school biology!

We've had many great beach days and will most likely begin right away, slowly, as our good weather days will be outnumbered by those in the southern climes, so we want to take advantage of them NOW!!

I am SO grateful to Theresa for sharing her work and that we get to tag along with Superboy, it is going to be a blast! (My boys are especially excited to get to do some "big boy" science).

We've even started our shell collection already with some very unique finds!

The top left is SO cool, it's a Chiton shell (pronouncced KY-ton) from the class Polyplacophora meaning many plates. I believe it's a Lined Chiton (Tonicella lineata) which can be found on Pacific coastlines from the Aleutian Islands to the Channel Islands, California. The shell on the right is a small Lewis's Moon Snail shell (Euspira lewisii) . These are everywhere on our beaches and they have the coolest egg casing they release into the sand that resembles a small piece of tire rubber, very interesting indeed. The front small shell is a Mask Limpet (Tectura persona), also called a "Speckled Limpet". These are usually found up at the highest tide line in crevices sheltered from heavy wave action.

The book for our study, The Seaside Naturalist is one of the best books I've encountered for this level of study and I'm so glad Theresa chose this one! We will also be consulting field guides for our part of the country/ocean/beaches, etc. Two of our current ones are: Whelks to Whales and The Beachcomber's Guide to Seashore Life in the Pacific NW, both great on the beach guides!

Well, come along with us if you can! We're off to the beach now, see you at the next low tide :)

Comments

[Theresa]

Yay!!! I am so excited that you guys are joining us!! It is going to be awesome! Great shell finds, btw!

[Betty]

I would love to have you as a next door neighbor...I would homeschool my grands with your examples and they would be having so much fun and they would be the smartest kids in town!!!

[Karen Edmisten]

No seaside here ... sigh. :)

[SuzanneG]

Oooohhhhhh......such fun! The benefits of livin' near the water!!!! Must take advantage!