Blacks Creek- New Site

Sunday, August 4, 2019 

Heyyyy I’m back! So this week I was working at Blacks Creek and it was totally different from what I’m used to from past weeks. This goes from the commuting routes I have to take every morning to the environment of the salt marsh. To sum it up, we play field games with the camp kids, fish for minnows, drop crab traps, and teach the kids about the marsh. This site is more chill, I would say, because we have to wait for the camp kids to be dropped off resulting in a range of 1-10 kids throughout the whole day. There are many types of marine life including horseshoe crabs, green crabs, minnows, shrimp and other insects. The marsh floor is partly muddy and rocky so we have to walk in the water with water shoes. We are installed in Quincy with the Quincy Rec Center. This past week it was much hotter in temperature and I believe it contributes to the feeling of longer days of work. Within these hot days we play various games with the kids including Gaga Ball, speedball, Uncle Sam, Froggy Detective and Evil Scientist. At this site, everything is all fun and games. 

I personally enjoy leading the hunt for minnows because it’s interesting to see their behavioral instincts when us humans approach them; they scurry!! It’s so funny to see them and cute to hold them in the small nets. Minnows are the most common creature at Blacks Creek because they are literally everywhere and can be seen from above the water’s surface. The kids enjoy squinting their eyes in the murky water with me too. The students' ages range from 6-7 so they are always engaged with the activities we offer. Especially on Wednesday, we taught the kids about the salt marsh water quality with a refractometer and about the marshes' soil with a soil corer. They ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ at the science behind water and dirt. Who would have known?!?!

I try to help raise awareness about saving the Earth from harm by telling the kids to always pick up trash and dispose of them in the correct bins to avoid any type of pollution. “Save the Harbor, Save the Bay” is known for helping spread the word about the harbor and other neighboring bodies of water of how we can save them from resorting to old ways. I'll creek to you in next week's update, Flo.