Familiar Faces in Interesting Spaces

It's Thi here!
Last week, we had a loyal returning group come out from East Boston. These kids and their staff have been coming on All Access Boston Harbor with Save The Harbor/Save The Bay for as long as I remember. I want to do a shout-out to the kids!! They are always so fun and passionate about everything around them, bubbling with questions.
We went to Spectacle Island last week and had the pleasure of taking out this group as long as a few others. On the twenty minute boat ride, I caught myself up with how things have been going with them and it felt so good to be approached and being told "Hey! I remember you!"

Sam taking the hook out of the skate

 After getting re-acquaintanced, we set off for a little competition to see who would catch the biggest fish. Alas, only one skate was caught along with the many green crabs that seem to have gotten more plentiful since last year (uh-oh!).

Daniel!!

Before heading back to the boat, everyone made sure to run into the waves, getting their knees wet as we had all promised David we would do.

What a great day that was!
All the best and stay wavy,
Thi Tran

Fun In the Sun At Frisbeach

This week with temperatures hitting the 90s it made for a great week to head over to Spectacle Island. I have never been to Spectacle Island so I was looking forward to a great week of fun in the sun and of course Frisbeach. On Tuesday, alongside Carolyn, Bridget, Manny DeJesus, and Kiauna, I decided to play a game of kickball with Paige Academy. After only about fifteen minutes or so, we decided we had enough of the heat and it was time to head to the water and join the rest of our staff.  That was the right decision because it surely cooled us off.

The All Access crew escaping the heat and cooling off in the water

Today after hearing it was supposed to be the hottest day of the week, I decided to take Frisbeach to the water. When we arrived at Spectacle Island,  we ate our lunch and then headed off to the water to play some frisbees. I started off Frisbeach with help from Thi, Carolyn, Hung, and Karrisha.

Teaching a girl from the Jordan's Boys and Girls club how to throw a frisbee.

We started playing with the new Save the Harbor frisbees with Winthrop Park and Recreation, Jordan's Boys and Girls Club, and with East Boston YMCA. We provided each group with Save the Harbor frisbees. Now Frisbeach will go with them back to their summer programs. Looking forward to more
fun in the sun at Frisbeach!

A girl works on her frisbee throw

So Long from Frisbeach

Frisbee Guy - - aka Davis

East Boston YMCA Summer Kick Off at Constitution Beach

It was a beautiful day to be on Constitution Beach.

On Monday, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay headed out to Constitution Beach in East Boston for the East Boston YMCA Summer Kick Off. Boston students had a free day for Bunker Hill Day and many kids took advantage of their day off to soak up the sun, play in the waves, dance around and learn about the beach. It was a beautiful day to be outside. 

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay not only sponsored the event but had a strong presence, bringing their touch tank full of clams, mussels and oysters. The kids loved it! Some of them had eaten clams before, but a lot of kids hadn't, and many of them had never seen the inside of a mussel before. SHSB staff members Will and Carolyn were experts at showing the kids how to break open the mussel shells. Some of the kids loved the shells while others were more interested in the insides. They couldn't believe inside those shells were actual animals!

Along with SHSB's touch tank, there were other games for the kids and a DJ who did a great job getting the kids moving. There was freeze dancing with prizes and lots of line dancing--even the SHSB staff joined in! We did the Cotton Eyed Joe, the Cha Cha slides, the Wobble and the Cupid Shuffle. We had lots of fun and it was great to see the kids outside, enjoying the sun and the beach. We hope to see them there throughout the summer!

--Rachel Frenkil

Communication and Events Summer Intern

East Boston YMCA Summer Kick Off

Touch Tank provided by Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

This year's East Boston YMCA Summer Kick Off was a great event filled with smiles everywhere you looked. The kick off took place at Constitution Beach with a great view of Boston, Logan Airport and Boston Harbor. The kids were able to enjoy many games on the beach, swim and experience a touch tank full of bivalves brought by Save the Harbor /  Save the Bay. I couldn't wait to show the kids what we had brought because everything we had was harmless and some of the best seafood's in my opinion. The touch tank marine life consisted of mussels, little neck clams, cherry stones, Quahog clams and oysters. The kids were very eager to touch all of the marine life that we had and learn what they are. There were a few kids who already knew what some of the bivalves were since their parent had given them seafood before. It was great to see that the bivalves were not completely foreign to the kids.

Throughout the day we had fun participating in the dance events with kids. The DJ of the event did a great job and really kept the kids enthused with different dance games and songs that had choreography in the music such as the "Cha Cha Slide" and "Cupid Shuffle." Being able to have fun with the kids and make their experience on the beach as fun as possible is something I love to do. Smashing opening a mussel so that that kids can see the inside is definitely something that gets them engaged just as much as dancing in a game of freeze dance.

A Game of Freeze Dance

It was a great experience for me to be at the event and I would like to thank East Boston YMCA for letting us be a part of such a great event.

-Will Clark

Fun in East Boston!!

Two years ago, I lived in the Orient Heights neighborhood of East Boston, right across from the big blue bridge that leads to Constitution Beach. I honestly never visited the beach there very much, but loved the views when I did decide to visit. After all, how many people can brag about the fact that their beach is less than a mile from an airport runway? Especially at night, watching the planes take off under the stars is quite a site -- factor in the moonlit water, and you have yourself in a spectacular place. Last night, this wasn't the only amazing occurrence happening on Constitution. The East Boston YMCA, along with the DCR and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay held another DJs and Dancing night on the beach, where families from East Boston gathered for savory smores, dancing, a lobster touch tank and more fun! Myself, along with Delilah and Andrew had a seriously fun night, and watching the kids check out the lobster and bucket full of treasures (seaglass, shells, crab shells, etc) made my night -- and hopefully the kids' nights too!

The kids that stopped by our station were adorable -- and very impressive with their existing knowledge about shells, crabs and marine life in general! One girl proudly told me the difference between boy and girl crabs, while another boy pointed at each item in the treasures bucket, telling me exactly what he was looking at. In addition, several adults commented on how great it was to have Save the Harbor at the event, and I couldn't agree more. East Boston is such a vibrant community, and watching the kids (and adults!) have fun dancing and toasting smores was quite the site to see. I am proud to say that I once lived across from this fantastic beach, and hope to have the chance to attend these very events in the future!

Excited explorers investigating trash vs. treasure!

Roasting marshmallows on the beach!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

Swimming in the Harbor

Last week on All Access, I finally started swimming on Spectacle Island. This isn't something I usually do but I tried it and David was surely right. Returning children such as kids from the East Boston YMCA usually ask me to go to the top of the island with them to fly kites and play with them, but they were upset when I told them I was going to swim. When they saw me swim one of my friends from the YMCA David asked his mentor to come in the water with me. This showed me a new part of my job which was that I could teach the kids about sea glass and then swim with them. As soon as we started swimming David got the rest of his friends to come in the water and we all had a blast. As the ferry docked waves coasted to the shore really fast. Waves are a lot of fun but also very painful. We told the kids to get out the water cause if you don't clash with the waves you're going to get hurt. Something I learned the hard way.

Kids from the East Boston YMCA really enjoyed the company of my fellow worker Beast and I. The days before we flew kites and it was a pleasure  helping the kids experience new ways to have fun on the island.

-Ahmed Hassan

Dancing at the Beach!

For those who love music and dancing, you all would have loved to be at Constitution Beach this weekend. Friday, July  20, Save the Harbor made an appearance with a lobster. We had a lot of fun with the lobster and everybody seemed to enjoy seeing it. After talking with many people, it seems that one of the most commonly asked questions is centered around the size of lobster. Many wouldn't believe it but lobsters get upwards of three feet long, especially if they live in protected areas.

It was great seeing everybody from the YMCA who goes to so many of our events. Everyone was so upbeat and happy to be there. I look forward to spending more time with the children of the East Boston YMCA and other groups that we do beach events with. 

Just Another Fun Day at Piers Park...

           On Friday after MLK Karrisha and I trooped over to Piers Park to spend some time with the East Boston YMCA with Ali as our leader. Ali devised an awesome program by assigning each of the junior program assistants to a group of about ten East Boston kids. There were three stations where kids could either go to the dock, play marine themed games on the grass such as Sharks and Minnows or Crab Tag, or head into the tent for some interesting board games like Apples to Apples! But everything was organized so that every individual group would be rotated around each of the various stations so that they wouldn't be plagued with repetitive monotonous activities over and over again.

Miguel holds his first lobster

                                                             
           Along with Candido, we were put in charge of 8 East Boston YMCA kids who were a joy to have. First of all, we had each of the kids introduce themselves using a marine organism that starts with the first letter of their name. After we both started the kids on a game of Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam is a fun game where each kid chooses his or her own marine animal to be. Another person (who is Uncle Sam), yells out a specific characteristic and anybody whose animal fits that can cross the river dam. Following an exciting game we switched over to the dock where Candido led a small group out to fish and I led a small group to the crab trap. Surprisingly, there were two small lobsters in the trap. One child named Miguel wanted to hold one so badly that I just had to comply and let him hold one. This made my day because I was able to let one child have a new experience with a lobster and I hope there will be more to come!

                    Yours truly,
                     Vinh Tran

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot...on Spectacle Island

Another week at Spectacle Island has flown by!  Even though construction on the dock at Georges' Island kept the STH/STB staff from exploring Fort Warren and hearing the legend of the Black Lady, we soldiered on to a week of swimming and sea glass hunting with the more than 1,000 kids that came out on the harbor with us!

Tuesday was wicked, wicked hot, and I was pretty bummed that I had not brought my bathing suit (since I had planned on going to Georges' Island).  Luckily new staffer Andrew, a.k.a. The Beast, was kind enough to drag both Thi and myself into the water, clothes and all.  After our initial shock wore off, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon splashing around with the kids from the East Boston YMCA.

One of the funniest groups that came out with us this week has to be the Salesian Boys and Girls Club.  Not only were their kids well-behaved and super excited to explore the island, their staff was friendly and got all the kids on the boat pumped up for the trip.  Hopefully we'll get to see them again before the summer ends!

This week is going to be our 3rd in a row on Spectacle Island -- how did we get so lucky?!?  Can't wait for more harbor adventures to come!

-- Carolyn

Kicking Off the Summer on Constitution Beach!

This last Monday, the East Boston YMCA got the summer rolling on Constitution Beach with their YMCA Summer Kick Off! It was a bright sunny day with a cool breeze and tons of beach games. On one side of the beach there was sand hockey and soccer matches kicking up sand and laughter.  And on the other, there was sand castle building, bean bag tosses, and frisbee golf. There was even an intense kids against staff tug-of-war! By the end of the day the score was undoubtedly kids 3-0.

In addition to all the fun games there was a special friend who joined in on the fun in the sun, his name was Larry the Lobster! He greeted everyone who walked by and even let the kids hold him. 


To finish the day off with a bang there was a giant flash mob! Everyone on the beach joined in and danced together to many different songs that included the cupid shuffle and the infamous YMCA song. It was a cool sight to see and a wonderful way to celebrate our beautiful clean beaches!

This is the first of many Better Beaches events that Save the Harbor has helped to fund this summer, and we know that our friends at the Y have given us an amazing preview of the exciting summer ahead on all of our beaches. I'm so excited to attend all the other beach parties, concerts, campfires, and sandsculpting competitions from Nahant to Nantasket this year, and I hope you are too!

See you out on the Harbor this summer! 


Liz Allen
~Events/Communications Intern

Good Weather. Good Fun. Great Day!

Today, the amazing staff and I were invited to enjoy a beautiful day on Constituion Beach in East Boston. We were invited by the East Boston YMCA to their Summer kick off event. It was an excellent day to hold the event due to the weather since it was not too hot and not too cold. There were tons of activites on the beach for kids. We were able to be one of the numerous activities for the kids to enjoy during their day on the beach.

The Save the Harbor team had our friend Larry the lobster with us today, so that he could say hello to all the kids in East Boston. Some kids were afraid to even get close to him while others were completely fearless. The fearless children held Larry the lobster by his back in order to make sure they did not get pinched. Even though Larry may seem nice at times, I noticed that he could be a little be fiesty if you get too close to his claws or provoke him. However, today Larry did not pinch or hurt anyone and one of our staff members noticed he was missing a leg. He probably did not want to lose another leg, so I guess that is why he did not pinch anyone.

Overall, today at Constitution Beach with the East Boston YMCA was a great day that Save the Harbor enjoyed contributing to. The Flash Mob dance was definitely fun to participate in and watch. Also, tug of war was very interesting and exciting even though my side lost. That was fine with me though because the kids were very happy to beat people that were bigger than them. I had an amazing day in East Boston and cannot wait to go back there when Save the Harbor's summer programming officially starts.

Last Week

After the fantastic day we had last Friday with all the groups we have been working with though the summer, it only made sense that they would think it was our last day. So today when we showed up for another fun day at Constitution beach, we found that the group had not arrived. They thought Friday was our last day and didn't show up. After waiting for a while, Sheuli made a phone call and eventually the East Boston Y was informed that we were holding program. And so, even though they were only going to have about a half hour of programing by the time they got there, they still decided to make the trip to the beach. And to me, that just shows how well we have done with them this summer and how much they all enjoy spending the day with us. With the limited time we had, we were able to separate them into two smaller groups, one consisting of members that wanted to go exploring, and the others playing games. It ended up being a fun day; a great way to end the summer with the East Boston Y.

~wilshere

Working with YMCA Children

On the Constitution Beach, the kids had found a crabs skeleton. I have never seen one before and it was amazing to see. I thought the crab was dead at first but I realized that there was not anything inside the shell. It was dry and hard. Then Annie told me that the skeleton is like how a snake would shed its skin when they get bigger overtime. What was interesting that I learned about crabs was when it gets bigger, it would break its shell, and then grow another shell over its entire body. For some reason, I thought they would have to search for another shell just like hermit crabs. I guess you learn something new everyday. While at the beach, the staff helped us bury some of the kids under the sand. There was one kid that wanted me to draw his figure to make him look like a mermaid. After, the other kids wanted to get buried, so we buried at least 5 kids legs under the sand. I figured since they could not move I draw Save the Harbor Save the Bay in the sand. Then at the top write the YMCA kids. It was a great day.

-LaToya

All Access at Spectacle Island

This morning, I was getting ready for the trip out to Spectacle Island when I heard "THI THI!" I quickly turned around and came face to face with the East Boston YMCA kids, their smiles beaming at me. Jogging on over, I realized how much of an impact All Access Boston Harbor had on all these kids. After re-learning all their names and the joking began, they started to tell me all about the Harbor and what they learned about the ocean and its marine animals.

During David's little spiel, most of the campers knew and remembered all the little details about Spectacle Island, such as how long us Bostonians and the surrounds 43 communities dumped their trash on the island (50 YEARS!!), how long the trash burned/smoldered (10 long YEARS!), and especially about the Bay Gulls (aka Bagels). I was impressed seeing all of the kids from all the groups being so excited to learn and do something today they hadn't done before. It was such a fun day and I can't wait to do the same tomorrow!

Thi

Hordes of Hermit Crabs!

Today at Constitution Beach, we had a blast collecting hermit crabs. Our awesome hermit hunters from East Boston YMCA collected hundreds of hermits and piled them into our touch tank.

It was interesting to hold so many hermit crabs in your hands at once. Some of the YMCA explorers giggled and shouted at the hermits when their tiny claws tickled their palms.

At the end of the collection, we said our farewells and watched as hundreds of hermits crawled back to their homes!

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

Better Beaches Kickoff!

Hi, I'm Scott and I'm one of the communications interns this summer at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Last Monday I had the pleasure of joining the Senior Marine Educators and a few other staffers at the YMCA Better Beaches summer kickoff event at Constitution Beach in East Boston. As soon as I walked across the beach to the Save the Harbor table I realized that, even though it was a Monday, this was an exciting and energy-filled event. Throughout the afternoon there was music playing, YMCA kids enjoying games of flag football, volleyball, and other sports I didn't even recognize, and a generally upbeat atmosphere with everyone sunbathing and taking advantage of the summery weather. I think the highlight of the day for all of us at Save the Harbor was the marine life showings that the Senior Marine Educators did for any young visitors to our table. A steady stream of kids came to pet lobsters' tails, hold moon jellyfish in their palms, and examine kelp and periwinkles. This was a great addition to what was already a great summer afternoon to start off the Better Beaches programs of the summer.

A few photos:

Sheuli dropping some knowledge about a periwinkle.

Connor showing off a lobster.

East Boston, Kicking Off in Style

This was the first Better Beaches Event of the summer!! It was a hot summer day as we sat peering out over the blurr of red and green YMCA t-shirts storming around Constitution Beach on Monday, June 27th. The youngest beachgoers were having a dance party by the DJ and the rest were scattered around the beach playing various games including soccer, capture the flag and volleyball. After grabbing a couple of nets from the stand I decided to set out to find some explorers. I felt my best luck would come down by the water. Sure enough, I found a couple of girls and a small boy who were all excited to see what they could pick up. The girls mostly set off together by themselves but the little boy stuck by my side. Everytime I brought my net up from the sea floor, he wanted to see what was inside. His mom watched with a smile as we wondered along the beach "oohh and ahh"ing at every new discovery our net was able to capture. This is what Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is all about: giving kids the opportunity to discover the Boston Harbor and all it has to offer.

-Sarah Appleton

Hello There!

Hi!

My name is Sheuli Molla, and I am a new Senior Marine Educator at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay. This past May I graduated from Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Sciences. At Stony Brook University, I studied the principals of Marine Ecology, Marine Conservation, and Ecosystem Based Management. I am excited to put my knowledge to work in Save the Harbor's youth environmental education program by reuniting Bostonian youth with nature and the marine environment!

This summer, I hope to teach and learn about everything Boston Harbor has to offer. I am also excited to share my experience and background in marine sciences with our curious harbor explorers at Save the Harbor.

During our program site visits this week, I was able to fully appreciate the majesty of Boston Harbor. From Pleasure Bay to Black Creek, each site is uniquely beautiful and interesting.

At this week's East Boston YMCA Summer Kickoff event, I was delighted to show and tell about marine life by using our saltwater touch tank! Kids from all over Boston were able to see and touch live lobsters, crabs, clams, snails and other critters. At first, most of the kids who approached the tank were scared of the lobster, and wouldn't think about touching it. However, after they saw the Marine Educators holding a lobster, and their friends touching its tail, enthusiasm and bravery became infectious. Kids from every Boston neighborhood exclaimed about how the lobster looked, felt and smelled!

With the excitement of a young Bostonian, I too am enthusiastic about exploring, fishing, crabbing, sailing and doing other marine activities with Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay. I cannot wait to get started and get back to Boston's BEAUTIFUL beaches!

EAST BOSTON YMCA SUMMER KICK-OFF BEACH DAY 2010

East Boston YMCA packed Constitution Beach on Bunker Hill Day for a fun-filled Summer Kick-off celebration. The event featured free lunch, games, information tables and plenty of splashing around on the water's edge.

Jen from Save the Harbor brought along a touch tank that was a big hit with all the kids - especially the lobster, razor clam and other critters.

The event gave over 400 kids from East Boston and their parents a great way to spend the day off from school and an opportunity to connect with the East Boston YMCA and their summer free lunch program.

We look forward to more great family events at Constitution Beach later in the summer, including a movie night and campfire - all thanks to the folks at East Boston YMCA.

Check back here for more on events throughout the summer!