Bye Bye CHV OG!

Farewell Xavier!

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! This week was a little different than what I’m used to. I caught a killer cold, spent a day at All Access, and went to BU for the MLK scholars program, which I’ll get into later. This week was our last week with our (now former) SHE, Xavier. Which obviously wasn’t fun because we’ve all grown to become one big family in such a short amount of time. On Wednesday there was a staff enrichment day at the fishing derby, but instead of the going to the derby, I went to All Access with Tia, Flo, and the interns. One thing about All Access is it’s a much longer process getting on the boat than it is at CHV. We had to walk to the office in the morning to grab the supplies (which isn’t something that I’m used to), then walk down to the Pavillion. There’s a whole process of checking in all the groups coming that day, with groups ranging from 5 to about 160 people. Then once the groups all check-in, they take a group photo and file inside the Pavillion to grab their seats and wait for David to give his speech. Once he’s said what needs to be said everybody walks down to the dock to board the boat and blast off we’re gone! On Thursday I wasn’t feeling the best, but I tried to tough it out, and we ended up catching 2 skates and watching the Lip Sync Battle the kids had, so I guess it was worth it. Lastly, on Friday a few JPA’s and I went to MLK and listened to Representative Liz Miranda talk about her life and what lead her to become who she is today, which I found to be very inspiring. So overall this week was pretty cool!

Dead fish along the Harbor

On Monday I noticed a couple of fish, specifically Menhaden, floating in the water. A couple were next to the dock at CHV and a couple more were next to the dock at the pier. I was really confused and partially concerned because I was trying to figure out what happened in order for there to be dead fish all over the harbor. After some googling, I found out that there’s not enough oxygen in the water due to the hot weather and algae blooming. It’s very important that our water stays sustainable so we don’t end up drinking water that kills us.  Fortunately, these fishes died of mostly natural causes, but that’s not the case all the time. So remember to throw away your waste in the right bins and not in the ocean!

See you on the boat,

Stephanie

2 Contrasting Days at Blacks Creek

Briana, Colin, Jaiden, Eric, and I all set out for our first day of work at Blacks Creek on July 2^nd. Briana, Jaiden, and Eric had been with the program previously, but Colin and I had never worked with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Personally, I was completely unsure what to expect, and this made me nervous. All I knew is that our kids would be between 6/7 years old and that we would be outside trying to catch creatures on the shore. Now that I have completed two full days, I know what to expect and feel significantly more confident in my position at the Lead Harbor Explorer. The first and second days at Blacks Creek could not have been more different from each other, in more ways than one. The days mostly differed in weather and activities. The weather on the first day was absolutely gorgeous. It was mid 80s with a breeze and very low humidity. The second day was mid-90s, no breeze, and high humidity. This difference in weather definitely affected how the children interacted with their environment. The hotter it was outside, the more the kids wanted to be in the water. I believe this is because the water was cool and this encouraged exploration. The weather was not the only factor that affected how the children interacted with their environment. The activities played a big role, too. On our first day, we did not set a crab trap. The kids just used nets, shovels, and plastic tools to look for crabs and fish. The kids also worked together to create a tide pool. After a while, however, the kids wanted to do something different because they were not having much luck with catching creatures. We ended up playing GaGa ball on the field behind the beach. GaGa Ball was a fun choice. The kids had a blast – and a few of the staff, too!

The second day we set up the crab trap and prayed we would catch at least one or two crabs. We got 28 in total!!!! The kids loved seeing how many crabs we caught. They all wanted to touch them but were afraid to. After talking with them about how to properly hold a crab and why maintaining crab safety is important for both the human and crab, they could not keep away from the crabs. We even had a crab race to conclude our first session, and it was a hit! While it was an extremely hot day, the kids had a blast!

I really enjoyed the second day. While the first day was very cool and comfortable, not much happened and I went home feeling a bit disappointed we did not find any crabs or cool fish. On the second day, however, I went home excited to tell my friends and family about the crabs we caught. I had never picked up a crab until my second day at Blacks Creek (July 3rd), and I was hesitant to do so. It was more important to me that I set a good example for the kids and show them there is nothing to be scared of if they hold the crabs properly. At first I was squeamish but with each crab I picked up, my fear of them decreased. I noticed some of the kids experienced this, too. There is a lot about the ocean and its creatures we do not know about, but this program is helping myself and the kids in surrounding communities to challenge our fears and discover excitement and adventure.  

Crab Race on July 3rd

Bucket of Crabs on July 3rd

Until next time,
Ellen

What's a summer without some more beach days?

It was August 5th, an extraordinary, and I mean a not your typical Friday, where S.T.H./S.T.B. staff united to unleash their inner amazing. When I thought that the event weeks prior at Carson Beach was amazing, that was partly due to the fact that I had yet to experience a day where all the staff got together!

I was stationed at the fishing area, it was there that the kids and I picked up these small blobs and had somewhat of a water balloon war! We saw many small schools of fish that looked like guppies who were too fast and smart to be caught. Every now and then, we reeled in a crab that would finish a piece of fish midair hanging from a hook! I was able to win over the hearts of the kids that came to the fishing station to touch or even hold a crab for their very first time.

Around noon we had a huge bonding moment, staff-to-staff, kids-to-staff, anyone-to-everyone when we sang along to some songs together. I almost forgot to mention that there were plenty of delicious hot dogs too! In this next photo you can see me brimming with excitement to dash into the wash as fast as possible when it was decided that everyone was going to get wet.

-Raymond Chai

Piers Park: The Playground

There are a few unique locations at Piers Park that we use everyday for our enjoyment. In my last blog, I wrote about the lush lawn on-site and the games that we play on it. This post will be dedicated to the multifaceted playground that we use for a ton of fun activities.

The playground is colossal at Piers Park, and it has all of our conventional park needs. There are bridges and tunnels that the children climb on, monkey bars and zip lines that are overly utilized, swings, slides, and much more. I'm a fan of the swings, but the Harbor Explorers have been going crazy over the slides. Recently, they've begun creating their own water park by filling up water bottles and dumping them all over the slides. For hours, they'll take turns running to the sprinkler. filling their containers, drenching the slide, and then plunging down the slope in excitement. At this point, it's a very calculated procedure.

I think every Harbor Explorer and staff member agrees that the centerpiece of the Piers Park playground is the giant, water spewing fountain. Right smack-dab in the middle of the park there is a sprinkler that spits water all day long. Daily, our Harbor Explorers strap on their swim trunks and run through the falling water to cool off. They especially love pouring water on their friends....and counselors. It seems as though every day, one counselor is targeted and becomes the victim of massive water attacks. It's all in good fun, and every Save the Harbor staff member accepts role happily.

Jack is about to get wet!

The kids have loads of fun on the field and in the playground, but the undisputed champion of Piers Park is the dock, where the real Harbor exploration happens. In my next post, I'll mention some of the adventures that we've had by the water and what the Harbor Explorers have learned by them! The summer fun never ends at Piers Park! 

-SEAN