Testing the Waters at Carson

Learning from the ballnastics master

Carson Beach is starting its maiden voyage as a Save the Harbor Save the Bay site this summer. The last three days we have worked with different organizations that provide great opportunities for kids on the beach. The groups we have been working with are America SCORES, the Dorchester YMCA, and Boston Boating.

America SCORES has had us running around all over the beach with high-energy activities. Each morning we start with a pacer test to see how long we can run between two points under a certain amount of time. The first day I made it to 18 laps, and the second day I made it to 21. Hopefully by the end of summer my endurance will be higher and I’ll be up in the 60s! America SCORES also led a lesson in “ballnastics”, where you learn how to maneuver the ball in many different ways. Needless to say, my legs have been very tired and sore after work!!

America SCORES also provides some enrichment activities. The activity we did on Tuesday was similar to capture the flag but with a balloon. Once your balloon was popped, you had to read the poem that was inside the balloon. We also had to write our own poem about balloons. We all shared our poems to each other and everyone did a great job!!

Some of our finds!

Arianna digging

On Wednesday Boston Boating joined the Carson group. Boston Boating provided kayaking and paddle boarding with the youth groups that came to Carson today. While some kids were out on the water, we took the other kids down the tide line to go clamming. While clamming we found mussels, razor clams, and quahogs. Along with clamming we did a lot of crab hunting. We were able to find Asian Shore Crabs and Hermit Crabs. The best part of the day was when we were all able to take out kayaks. I opted for a paddle board because I have never gone paddle boarding. The key to paddle boarding is balance, and I was lucky enough to not fall off! Out on the water it was a bit windy so it made it difficult to direct our boats.

Back from our first boating trip of the summer

I’m looking forward to updating everyone on the progress of Carson. I believe it will be a great site with many opportunities to have a great time.

Nora