First Day at Constitution Beach

We've added a new site this year to the Boston Harbor Explorers program: Constitution Beach in East Boston! All together, with our trips out to Spectacle Island and Georges Island on All Access Boston Harbor, we have TEN youth program sites all around the Harbor this year! Looking back through the years to when we only had two or three sites, we're SO excited about the direction and growth of our youth programs and the talented, enthusiastic staff helping to further propel it forward. It's almost the end of week 1, and it's clear it's going to be a great summer.

Constitution Beach has been fascinating to me since I first visited last year. There's an ice rink right on the beach, planes taking off across the beach at Logan Airport, and, at the same time, so many East Bostonians and visitors enjoying the summer sun on the expansive beach or lounging in the shade at the adjoining park. I don't automatically think of beaches when I think of ice rinks and airports, but it's such a great space! And it's definitely a perfect spot for more Harbor Explorers to join the fun.

We explored the beach with a huge group from the nearby East Boston YMCA, breaking off into small groups and scouring the intertidal zone for interesting objects and scurrying creatures. My group was SO excited to talk about everything we found, to look things up in our field guide, play some marine environment games, and to talk about the habitat. They were also amazed by how many green crab shells were washing up on the sand, and wondering where all the crabs that were alive were hiding! With the help of some slightly scared swimmers, we found a big green crab crawling around in some deeper water and shared our new friend with the other groups when we reconvened to talk about what we all found. I was extremely pleased with how engaged and excited the East Boston YMCA crew was- it made for a fantastic afternoon of exploration. We wrapped up the day with some fishing off the rocky shore to the left of the sandy beach-- and with the promise of another great afternoon next Wednesday!

See you next week, East Boston!

Michelle