I had heard about what is called an "Eco experience education" through a kids meetup group I'm in and thought it would be fun to set up for my daughters Girl Scout troop.
It was! Michelle, a marine biologist, runs these programs, and she was fantastic to work with.
Our group did the "seine-sational field trip". We met at pelican harbor park at low tide and Michelle and an assistant waded into the water with our troop and nets to see what marine life we could find. The nets are emptied into either a bucket (for shells, grasses, etc) or a little aquarium that was set up on the beach. Once we had found enough Michelle brought out special water microscopes and leaflets and worked with the girls to identify what they found while sharing information in a fun and informative way.
Michelle also makes sure that nothing is harmed or touched during this and all specimens are returned to the ocean.
The girls had a blast and the parents where all so impressed by the program and Michelle that we are already planning which of her programs we want to do next and what week we want to send our kids to her summer camps.
Prices for the programs vary depending on if you are a school, a non profit, a group or just an individual doing one of the open to the public times. As a group, we paid just under $15 a girl (adults were free) for this particular program, which was two hours long. read more