A (virtual) walk through Piers Park

Welcome back!

A rock crab we caught during dock time! 1st rock crab all summer.

     This week we’ll be taking a deep dive into what it’s like to work at Piers Park, and the kinds of activities and learning we do with the kids. Piers Park is one of the prettier parts of Boston: scattered trees dot a gently rolling lawn, interlaced with brick pathways that meander down a long wharf. Sometimes, we get a gentle sea breeze, which was a blessing during the hot days we had this week. We’re right across the river from the seaport district, which lets us enjoy a great view of the city without any cramped city feelings. We work with campers who are between 6 and 8 years old, generally. Our standard schedule puts us at Piers Park Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with lawn games from 9-10, dock time from 10-11:30, lunch from 11:30 until 12:30, lessons at 12:30, and finally more dock time from whenever lessons end until 2:30. On Mondays we spend part of lawn games doing a name game (very helpful in a job with 30 new kids), but apart from that we play games to get the kids moving like everyone’s it tag. Dock time offers lots of activities for the kids: SHSB staff run the fishing and the touch tank, as well as the crab trap, and Piers Park counselors offer group sailing and kayaking. As for the lessons, I go over what we do in great detail in my previous blog if you haven’t read it, so there’s nothing I can add here that I haven’t said there. We usually catch green crabs off the dock, with a few rare exceptions. We caught a skate once, a few weeks ago, and a rock crab this week, but green crabs are our usual find. Tuesday is the odd day out, as we program at Courageous Sailing instead of Piers Park. The kids we teach there are a bit older, around 9 to 12, and we alternate fishing time and lessons/activities time. Even when we’re not doing lessons (for either site), I like to help the kids learn something about the harbor to pass the time. Whether it’s figuring out which birds are which, or how the fishing rod works, or even how deep the water they’re fishing in is, if a kid I’m working with can walk away with one new piece of harbor knowledge, I’m happy.

An exciting game of Poison Dart Frog!

     Now, back to our weekly recap! This Monday was another staff enrichment day! This time, we went to the U.S.S. Constitution Museum to learn about the life of a Navy sailor on the Constitution. For me, the most interesting part was when we learned about the food that the sailors brought on their voyages, which could sometimes last months without restocking. Brined meat, cheese, and sauerkraut were all staples of a sailor’s diet, because if properly prepared these foods could last for months on board the ship. Sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) was especially important, as it provided much-needed vitamin C to sailors, preventing scurvy. There was also a special type of bread called a “ship’s biscuit”, which is hard-packed bread without yeast in it. The example biscuits the presenter showed us had been baked “probably a year or two ago” if that gives you any insight into how long these things last. They looked like I could break a tooth or two trying to take a bite into one. After going to the museum, we trekked over to Base Boston, the Coast Guard base of operations in Boston. We got a cool tour of some of the smaller boats the Coast Guard uses for patrolling and rescues, as well as a look inside some of the buildings (not the command center, unfortunately). The rest of the week played out similar to previous weeks: we spent Tuesday at Courageous, and Wednesday and Friday at Piers Park. Thursday was a fun surprise, as I was suddenly transferred to a beach event at Malibu Beach for the day! The event was a lot of fun: in addition to the fish printing we brought to the table, there were circus performers, practice stilts, several playground obstacles, and even a gaga ball pit (think dodgeball mixed with volleyball, using a kickball, in a ring with 8 sides). I had never heard of Malibu beach before, but I'm glad I got to work at the event, it was a blast.

Song of the week: Gold by Imagine Dragons

See you next time,

~Colin McRae

Week 5: New week at Piers and Experiences!

Hello again, and welcome to my 5th blog post.

This week I was at Piers Park, which was nothing I wasn't used to, but I was with a new group of workers this time. I found myself interacting with them in a really enjoyable manner. I felt like, although I had a new group of Coworkers this time consisting of Jasmine, Sebastian, Flo, Kaya, and Fatima. Luckly, I felt like I could attribute myself and fit right in with them. We easily bonded due to the games we had played with one another such as freeze tag, and knee tag. Those were really fun game. I felt like this when I am at a lot of the other sites, such as the Boston Children's Museum. I interact with most of the people at those sites whether they are kids, JPAs, LHEs or SHEs. I interact with them individually and differently. For example, I interact with the kids at all the sites like at Piers Park, when I, along with my other coworkers, organize a game, we have to go over how to play the game in a well-constructed manner. Through these activities, I have learned that you have to be careful with the games you play because next thing you know they're going to be confused and less interested in the game. Another group I interact with is my LHE and JPAs. I associate them together because I act the same with both groups, meaning that I know when it's time to have fun with them and work hard with them. For example, when I work at events with them like the one at Hull Illumination that I did on Saturday, I interacted with my JPAs and LHEs by mixing hard work and fun. I knew when it was time to chat rather than fish print, and I knew when it was time to fish print and work rather than talk. That's an important learning skill when it comes to interacting with my JPAs and LHEs.  As for my SHEs, I treat them nearly the same as my JPAs and LHEs, but I do know I have to listen to them because technically they are the boss of the site I am at. However, they are human, so I shouldn't restrict myself all because they can tell me what to do at the sites. They are usually understanding people as well and this year had taught me that considering I have been with a lot of SHEs.

Although I do interact with the kids and my other coworkers, sometimes it can be a challenge dealing with them. For example, sometimes you feel like you're pulling more weight than other people. As if they don't feel like working much on that day. During this moment, you have to know how to communicate with your coworker, by asking if they could help you work or just tell them politely to get back to work. That is what I believe to be the best way of talking to you're coworkers if you're having an issue with them. Other than this, I find myself having the most fun with everybody whether it's my coworkers or the kids at the sites. I remember being at pier park and playing everybody's it and it was a fun game to play because everyone would be so invested in the game and there would just be a lot of laughs around. It helps you get to know all the kids.

One moment that I will always remember, in terms of the summer was the event at Hull mainly because I had a really good group--they were so cheerful. I had Tessa as my SHE, Patrice as the LHE, and me, Damani, Jay and Jasmine as the JPAs, They were a really good group and made me feel at home. Especially since I was familiar with all of them at this point of the summer. Everything that was at the event made it spectacular, from the sunset to the fire show, to the illumination of the lake. It was such a good sight in my opinion and something I probably won't forget for a while. It was a unique event that I never had done before in the 3 years I have been at Save the Harbor.

I can't wait to Pacifically write to you again!
~Kamal

Week 5 was inspiring

Hey y'all hope you guys are doing well,

    Week 5 was fun as always but also very inspiring. I love spending time with kids because it reminds me of me when I was younger and I also want to build a strong relationship with them to the point where I can be a role model and person they can trust. There was this one camper Nick at Blacks Creek who wanted me to be his baby sitter and I can tell he felt comfortable with me. My goal is to have kids be comfortable and able to feel like they can be themselves around me and anybody else because they will not be judged.

Maggie and Vanessa giving the campers a crab lesson 

   The hardest part of working with other people is communication. I have learned but still sometimes struggle with texting, calling and talking to my co-workers so we know we are on the same page. It's hard to do something well when you are not on the same page because you might accidentally do things wrong. For example, if you don't communicate where to be in the morning you might go to the wrong place at the wrong time and be late to the actual destination and get paid less, and you wouldn't want to mess up your money. Without communication, everything else would be so chaotic and so frustrating because everybody will be annoyed at each other for being clueless and doing the wrong thing over and over. I overcome these challenges by always asking questions and never being nervous or hesitant about texting my boss and trying to get every single detail I need to be successful and get on with my day.

Tessa teaching the campers the steps on how to correctly pick up a crab 

   The camper Nick, who asked me to be his babysitter, inspired me and made me feel good about what I was doing and how I was doing it. Nick made me feel good about myself and the impact I make on others treating them with the most respect in the world. Nick and I created such a strong bond where he knows he can step out his comfort zone and I won't judge him or say anything to make him feel like he isn't doing something right. There was another camper named Tommy who came in very shy and now the both of us have a good bond where whenever he sees me he comes to talk to me about what he did on the weekend and other things. I am glad to have impacted Tommy as well and helped him step out of his comfort zone. These moment has made me want to keep working with kids and keep trying to impact them.

The campers playing Gaga ball

Crab ya later,
Che Hanks



 

Staff fun at EMK!

The band was amazing at Family Fun Night

Another cloudy day at Piers Park

Hey everyone! This week I went to two very memorable events: the Family Fun Night at Carson beach and the EMK Institute next to UMASS Boston. The family fun night was my final event of the summer and I have to admit that it was my favorite so far. We got to listen to good music, eat some delicious food, and participate in face painting. It went by so fast that I was shocked when it was over since I was having so much fun doing art with the kids.

I got to be a senator for the day

On Friday instead of programming all of the Save the Harbor staff went on a field trip to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute where they have an exact replica of the senate chambers. We met at castle island where were able to pick out whatever we wanted for lunch and then we drove to the institute which is behind UMASS Boston. We did a quick orientation and then split into two groups where we were assigned a tour guide. The tour was only about an hour but we got to learn a lot about the way our government works. The main issue of the day that we focused on was the election of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Friday also went by fast and before we knew it we did a mock trial of Kavanaugh’s appointment and we voted that he was not a good choice for the Supreme Court. It was a very informational and unique day because we usually program with children everyday but we were able to interact within the staff and it was a lot of fun.

That is all I have for this week and summer is unfortunately coming to an end. Wednesday, August

 22nd is my last day of work at Save the Harbor and I am going to miss it very much (especially

because I have to go back to school!) I has been a great summer and thank you for reading about my

 adventures!

Sincerely,
Maeve Fittz

Some Fun Events

Hey everyone! This blog is all about the two awesome events I went to this week aside from my regular everyday programing. This past Tuesday was the Fan Pier Fishing Derby! We had so much fun on Captain Charlie's boat, the Belle, fishing on the harbor. It was fun to have a day with just our staff doing some competitive fishing. I caught three fish which is the most I have caught in one day in my three summers with Save the Harbor! The weather was perfect for a day on a boat because the sun was shining but there was a nice breeze that kept us cool. Unfortunately, I did not win the biggest catch of the day but I was still happy to have beaten my own record.

We had to be there bright and early

On Friday I attended my third Beach Bash and Splash at Carson Beach. This one was a Mini Beach Bash but there was still a good crowd. I was once again running the fishing station with Briana and we taught a lot of kids how to fish and how to hold crabs. Kids love catching crabs because oftentimes a child catches multiple crabs on one line! One boy named Jj was fascinated by the crabs but he also wanted to make sure they made it home to be with their families so he let them go on the shore one at a time. We got our usual lunch of hot dogs,  veggie straws and baby carrots while we took a break from being out in the sun. The coolest part of this Beach Bash was that we were on the front page of the Saturday morning Boston Globe with a picture of kids playing with our giant beach ball!

This is Jj taking care of all the crabs

They made a huge splash

Those were all the fun events I went to this week but I will be sure to update all of you readers on my events for next week! Talk to you then!

-Maeve Fittz

Fun in the Sun!

Hello again, it’s Maeve Fittz and this week is a little less crazy than last week for those of you who remember. I jumped around from 3 sites last week within a five day span! This week I have decided to make my blog about a specific theme: my activity of the day.

This week I started out at Piers Park which was a normal day until after lunch when the Save the Harbor staff was tasked with coming up with a fun activity to engage the kids for the next hour. Our SHE, Meaghan, had a fun idea where we briefly taught the kids a little about the important role that leaves play in the environment. After that, we took our groups around Piers Park to find various leaves that they would like to make a leaf print out of. Next, we gave each child a piece of paper and some crayons, instructed them to put the leaf under the paper and then to use the side of crayon to trace the leaf. There were so many types of leaves in the park that each child's artwork looked different. It was a really fun activity and it was cool because the kids were learning about nature while making art at the same time.

My beautiful leaf art

The view from the dock at Piers Park

On Tuesdays instead of going to Piers Park we go to the Courageous Sailing Center to fish and play a game with the kids. For the first session at Courageous I was running the fishing group which was fun because we got to see a lot of sail boats go by. In the second session I was running the activity which was Pictionary: Boston Harbor Edition. We split up the kids into two teams and we had a bunch of pieces of paper with words on them that the kids had to draw. If their team did not guess the picture within three tries then the other team could try and steal. The games were really entertaining because some of the pictures were hilarious looking.

Apparently this is a sting ray

This is actually a good looking seal

On Wednesday I did not go to Piers Park because I was asked to represent Save the Harbor, along with my coworkers Eric and Kharliyah, in front of a group of funders. Before we were able to impress the funders, Kharliyah and I were tasked with cleaning out the supply closet in the office which was NOT easy. It took us almost three hours and about 5 garbage bags of trash. I have to say that I felt really accomplished when it was all done so that was my activity of the day on Wednesday.

I've never seen it so neat

On Thursdays we have a half day at Piers Park and then we take an uber to Community boating on the Charles River. To continue with the theme of the the activity of the day, at community boating we taught the kids how to use a refractometer. A refractometer measures the amount of salt in water by seeing how the light refraction changes because of the amount of solution in the water. We had 5 cups of water and we put different amounts of salt into each and kept track of which had the most and which had the least. The kids could take a drop from each cup and then write down the order they thought was correct. After that was finished we did our usual fishing programming which was difficult that day because of the sweltering heat. Besides the temperature it was a great day to be out on the water and to be able to interact with different kids for a change.

This is my Boston Harbor (I know it is missing some things)

I hope you guys all enjoyed my artwork this week because I put a lot of effort into it! Talk to you next week!

-Maeve Fittz

Talk about site changes!

Hello followers! Maeve here and I am about to tell you all about my most recent week on Boston Harbor. On Monday I was put at Piers Park Sailing Center where I was most of last summer so it was nice to interact with their staff again. We started the day with a game of tag on the lawn and then we learned the rules for the week. After that we went on the dock where we teach kids how to use the rods, how to identify a crabs gender and how to identify different types of ocean animals. In the middle of our programming it got very dark and cloudy over downtown Boston and then it began to downpour on us! The kids loved it and they wanted to stay on the dock so we did and it passed within 5 minutes. It was nice to get a break from the hot sun since the rain really cooled us down.

They're so silly

Besties

On Tuesday I was put at Blacks Creek in Quincy, where I was all last week. Every day last week the kids worked on building a little lake for the crabs and they get better and better at it each day. Today they had a lot of help because our second group of kids was rather large which meant they made a big lake. They spent most of their time on it figuring out how to make the bottom walls stronger since the beach is slanted a bit. They finally finished and there stood a beautifully engineered crab lake.

The Crab Lake

Since this week has been full of clouds and spotty showers, it is not unusual that on Wednesday at Piers Park we got poured on. We were fishing on the dock and it was really windy. All of a sudden it was pouring and the drops were the size of quarters. However, this only lasted about 3 minutes and then the skies cleared up really fast. This was not the case on Thursday though.

To keep with the theme of switching sites, Thursday I was at Blacks Creek once again. What I thought was going to be a rainy day that would ruin all of our fun turned into a nice shady day since the dark clouds were there but no rain fell. The first session of course worked on making a nice pool for the crabs to swim in but they didn’t have enough time to finish it. One really exciting thing that did happen in the first session though is that we found the biggest horseshoe crab yet! It was huge, so huge that it was too big for our touch tank and we had to let it go soon after we caught it.

Luckily, the second group was just as interested in making a crab pool and they had plenty of time for it. Before we went up to the Gaga pit we had a crab race which was fun because we made a competition out of it since usually we just dump the crab bucket back into the water. We only had 6 kids in the second session and all 6 of them wanted to play Gaga ball so bad that we went up to the pit for the last 45 minutes of the session. Time at Blacks Creek goes by relatively fast because there are only two sessions and you get to be with new kids all the time.

At the Gaga Pit

The first crab race

The second crab race

The biggest Horseshoe crab I have ever seen

Friday was the Beach Bash and Splash (not a mini one this time) at Carson Beach in South Boston. To help set up for the hundreds of kids that would be showing up at 10 am, there was a lot of setting up that needed to be done to prepare. By the time we finished setting up signs and games, all of the kids had shown up and I went to the fishing group where we caught tons of crabs. Although we already had about 20 crabs in a bucket for the kids, each new crab was just as exciting as the one before. I would say that fishing was the busiest activity of the day because we had a steady flow of kids for the entire event. We got a delicious lunch of hot dogs, veggie sticks and baby carrots and the day flew by! It was the perfect weather for a nice splash into the ocean and I have to say that I am very grateful to be assigned to fishing so that I could cool off by being knee deep in the water. Friday was overall a very fun day for all of the kids that participated and even for the staff too!

Luigi is upset

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my crazy week working for Save the Harbor. The weeks are going by so fast this summer but at least we have all of August left.

Talk to you all soon!
Maeve Fittz