First week in Quincy

Hello friends!

At the end of my first week at Blacks Creek in Quincy,  I have many memorable moments to share! To start, here we are on our very first day, representing Save the Harbor/Save the Bay! I felt so lucky to have my team ready to go, especially with extra help from Ahmed, who is returning for his fifth summer, and certainly knows the ropes!

Go team! Daynaja took the photo, I'm here with Ahmed, Danny and Abdi in the blue shirts. 

If you were wondering where the adventure starts, for a lot of kids, it is right here- reaching over the side of a bucket. Especially for timid kids, being able to crouch next to a pal to touch a crab or some minnows is an opportunity to break the ice.  I learned this week that all of the kids find a way to share these moments of awe with others. Sometimes they shout "yuck!" or "cool!" or  "can we eat it?" or "can I name him Frederick?" But, other times, they just quietly ask us what the animals do, or what they're made of. Once they reach into the bucket, they've broken the surface tension, and wonder begins to spread!

Playing with minnows and crabs

We even have some campers using their own touch tanks, filling them with shrimp, minnows, crabs and seaweed!

I am in blue in the background clasping my hands to my face, wishing I had my own personal touch-tank to bring to Blacks Creek, of course! Lots of cool seaweed in this tank!

We usually play sports in the afternoon, and some kids get tired of kickball, or simply don't want to play. We take a group of these kids into the shade and bring pens, paper, and our guidebook. This week, we found moon jellyfish in the book and in the water, so we started talking about things we may not have seen yet, but that live in Boston's harbor. We looked up creatures in the guidebook and decided to combine them into sea monsters! One girl put a starfish on the body of four green crabs and named it a "crabfish." Below is the creation process from beginning to end!

Step 1: Find a buddy, a notepad, and the guidebook. Talk about what you saw in the water, what you could have seen in the water, and what sea monster or combination of species you wish were real. Use extra imagination!

Step 2: Celebrate! Here are two of our adventurers, brother and sister, posing together after drawing their favorite creatures from the guidebook. Celebrating with a sibling is always fun!

Step 3: Tah-dah! You now have a masterpiece. This is the one featured above with the artist, and it has kelp, squid, hermit crabs, razor clams and a big, scary, lion's mane jellyfish on it!  

That's it for this week, I'm looking forward to drawing more sea monsters next week! I think the crab trap will provide ample inspiration for future artwork!

Carolyn House

Different Sites, Different Faces

Hey everyone!

This week has been pretty surprising, yet fun at the same time. Starting off with Monday, seeing so many happy faces within the Camp Harbor View staff and kids, who knew I would see my aunt working there. It was pretty exciting. As the day went on, spotting sea glass and Asian Shore Crabs was fun because that is something you don't get to see a lot of or do as an everyday thing 

All access was fun on Tuesday. From seeing kids wanting to fish, to kids being enthused in a game of soccer and all the smiling faces in the waters of Spectacle Island sure does make you feel like a winner inside. As Tuesday went on, the on and off again showers made it a refreshing and a good cool off to a humid day. It was amazing to see how active the kids were when they got a soccer ball to their feet. You do not see that a lot now a days. But the most refreshing part of the day, had to be taking a dip in the rocky waters of Spectacle before leaving the island for the day. 

Though today I was unable to work all access, spending the day at Carson Beach was still so awesome. The look on the kids face when they found clams, hermit crabs, and even part of a coconut was priceless. They were so interested in the facts about what they found. Some kids played a small game of soccer as well. To end a good day, we went kayaking. This was my first time ever kayaking and it was so much fun. Can't wait to see what else this week holds for me!!

  

-Ary 

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

An Amazing First Week

Hello,

My name is Marco and I've had an amazing first week. We have caught spider crabs, green crabs and fish. This week I got to spend time outside the Children's Museum getting to show and teach  little kids and families about all the underwater life. This week was very hot, but also very fun. I met a lot of kids who were interested in the crabs and fish. Some of them liked to touch the animals, and other didn't. In the end, everyone seemed to be intrigued by what we creatures we caught.

This week was the first time I have ever caught and seen a spider crab up close. Getting to feel the crabs was pretty cool. We also got to go fishing right off the dock which is pretty cool. This summer I look forward to catching many more different sea creatures.

This summer has been great so far. I look forward to being able to catch a striped bass. While at the Children's Museum, we have several fishing rods and two crab traps. Each fishing rod is equipped with bait. We help teach the kids how to put bait on the rod, and we also teach them how to use the crab traps. A few kids have caught crabs using the fishing rods. I can't wait for the rest of the summer to come, because I know it will be a lot of fun.

green crabs in our touch tank

See you at the Children's Museum,

Marco Savage

First Week of All Acess

This is my first  year working with little kids. It was really fun. We spent most of our day at Spectacle  Island.  We went fishing and played sports. The kids were really excited, especially for the sports. On  the first day we played kickball, most of the kids were really good , pretty much every kid that played hit at least one or two home runs. The second day the kids didn't want to play kickball, they wanted to play soccer instead. On our way to the field they were talking about the world cup, guess they are soccer fans. I was looking forward to it everyday because it was really fun . After the kickball and the soccer game, we went swimming in the beach. All access is really fun, I hope I get to do it again.

My Return to Piers Park

This is my second year working at Piers Park and I was really looking forward to returning this summer to reconnect the amazing friendships I had made last year with all the kids. Piers Park is one of the most staggering places to work, the kids are all wonderful and well behaved. Most of the kids that I worked with last year are not with us this week but it's still exciting working with the new kids that joined the program. Two of the kids that returned for a second year are Chanu and Kristine, these two kids are both really funny and they love being by the harbor fishing and catching Crabs. In these few days I've also met Lucia who is one the most focused kids I've ever met. Lucia loves fishing, she is always asking questions about how to catch a fish and how she can cast further. I find this magnificent because it shows that she really loves the program and she's always ready to learn new things and share it with the world, as a JPA there is nothing on this planet that makes me happier than seeing kids so focused and eager to learn new things.

Me Showing Luchia How to Fish

Me and Chanu Removing The Crabs From The Crab Trap

This week has been like a roller coaster, one day we catch of a lot of Crabs and some days we get none. But no matter how good or how bad a day we are having the kids never cease to impress me with their creativity and their amazing ability to turn any boring situation into an entertaining one. On the days that we have caught a lot of crabs the kids get really excited because when we have our crab race everyone has a crab they can race. On the days where we caught few crabs there were always plenty of Jellyfish in the water. The kids would catch them with their nets and we would determine which type of Jellyfish it is.This week the most Crabs we caught at Piers was about 13 in one day, we had a huge race on that fortunate day. Overall my first week back at Piers Park has been terrific and I'm really looking forward to meeting all of the new kids that will come through our program over the summer. I'm really looking forward to the return of some of the kids that I worked with last year for it would make me really happy to know that they loved the program last year.  

The Crab Race

Jazeel Mendes

Courageous Charlestown's Harbor Seal

At some point, a clever harbor seal made part of the dock of Courageous Sailing Center it's new home... or at least its new sunbathing location.

When we harbor explorers went down to the docks, we saw the strange creature flopping onto the dock to sun itself. From a safe distance, our explorers observed the seal, being careful not to bother it. To our delight, the seal rolled, lifted its tail and made funny faces as it sunned itself happily. Some of our explorers had never seen a seal, and were especially amazed at the sight of this marine mammal.

At last, we bid the seal adieu and returned to our other fun activities further down the dock.

-Sheuli

Courageous Crab Racing

Today the Harbor Explorers at Courageous Sailing Center had a brilliant idea!

After pulling up crab traps, finding LOADS of crabs, and making them a new habitat in buckets and touch tanks, our explorers decided they would allow the crabs to race to freedom once more. And so, the Courageous Crab Races began!

Harbor explorers laughed and giggled as their crabs scurried sideways to the water on either side of the docks!

- Sheuli

Fun in the Sun at Pier's Park

Week 1 @ Piers Park was a blast for the Harbor Explorers! Since we were afforded such beautiful weather for most of the week, we Harbor Explorers CRABBED, FISHED, and generally EXPLORED to our hearts' content!

On the side of the Pier's Park dock, we found a menagerie of sea creatures! Mussels, Tunicates, Sea Sponges and a variety of seaweeds were found in clusters below the waterline. Some of our explorers had never seen mussels, let alone Golden Star Tunicates, and were eager to learn more about the creatures that had been scooped up in their nets!

With our abundance of Mussels, the Harbor Explorers did a sizing activity, where we sorted the mussels by size (or into age classes). The Explorers thought of the way their parents measured THEIR height changes as they grew older. When the activity was finished, a long line of Mussels bordered the dock, ranging from tall to small. The explorers easily inferred that the smallest mussels were juveniles, and the largest adults. The Harbor Explorers were AMAZED by just how much a mussel could grow in its life cycle!

Some of the same mussels we found were used as bait in our crab traps. And SOOOOOOO many crabs were caught! Invasive Green crabs were found in abundance along with local Red Rock crabs and Jonah crabs. The Harbor explorers were taught how to identify the crabs to species, then determine whether they were male or female. Before long, all of the explorers knew what kind of crab they'd pulled up, before it was out of the trap!

By the end of our days at Pier's Park, all our explorers were thoroughly covered in sea creatures! This week was a blast, and we found so many new creatures.

I wonder what we'll find in our traps and on our lines next week!

-Sheuli

Week 1 at Piers Park!

Hey it's LaToya, I spent my first week at Piers Park in East Boston. Yesterday we found a huge lobster in the lobster trap. It was the first time I got a close look at a lobster, and I picked it up. The claws were huge and one of the kids was scared to pick it up. Of course Paige, who was one of the most inquisitive kids that we had at Piers Park this week, was the first to pick it up. He was very excited and had a smile on his face. He was so curious to see what was in the lobster trap so I let him take it out the water. Paige was so amused and wanted to do everything in one second. When we were fishing, the kids wanted to learn how to use a fishing pole. They wanted to cast the line into the water and were hoping to catch a fish. Even though we did not catch anything, they were happy that they got to learn how to use a fishing pole. The whole week was a blast.

Peace of love

LaToya

Spider Crabs!

Hello to all the Harbor Explorers!

Today was a great day at the Boston Childrens Museum. Children of all ages were engaged in harbor activities. The most succesful activity was catching the spider crabs, green crabs and fishing. Although no fish were brought on the pier, they were stealing all of our bait! Within seconds the fish had caught onto our scheme and snatched the bait before the explorers had a chance to reel them onto the pier.

Overall it was a great day at the touch tank on the Fort Point Channel!

Jennifer Last

First Week of AABH - DONE :)

It's Thi again!

And it sure is nice to say that I am finally out of the heat wave! I had many new experiences this week, especially with that over-the-top incident of the rangers handling the trash situation. David, Conor, Billy Junior, and I were laughing our head off! My cherries and David's "jokes" amused everyone to no end and after lunch, Conor and BJ walked down to the beach while David and I went to the Dark Tunnel. David would make horrible sounding noises with the half-full bottle of water and I would wait next to the gate to scare the numerous amounts of people passing by. People would walk by, unexpecting, then.... CLANG, CLANG, WHOOOOOO, GRRRRRRRR! The screams would echo in the boundless dark room, shortly followed by snickers and chuckles.

On the boat ride back, I met Yavi, Jamilex, and others who showed me their bags stock full of empty mussel shells and crackly crab carapaces. As they were surrounded by the foamy ocean water, they were excited to try if they could waterbend or not, after watching every season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was great meeting new people and I can't wait for next week's adventures!

-Thi Tran

All Access Week One

The first week of All Access was a great week. The kids had so much fun going out to George's Island. Even though many kids were scared of the Lady in Black and the Dark Arch it was still a good week. It was also fun to work with David Coffin because he is very funny and he keeps the kids entertained the whole day. My favorite part of this week was helping kids conquer their fears of going through the Dark Arch. After going through it they realized that it was not that scary and that it is really short. This week at George's Island was tons of fun and I can't wait to go to Spectacle Island next week.

-BJ Clark

We Run A Tight Ship

This is Conor, reporting that we have successfully finished our first week of the All Access Program. Since Tuesday, we have been bringing various youth groups and camps from around the city to the fascinating George's Island. Here, the kids were amazed by Fort Warren, which has stood since 1860. The dark tunnels and rooms of the fort were a big favorite, with the legendary ghost story of the Lady in Black providing an extra degree of excitement.

Meanwhile, others chose to roam the beach in an attempt to scout for various things. David told us to look to see if we could spot large pieces of (the very rare) blue sea glass scattered throughout the beach. Finding crabs was also an immensely popular activity, leading to no stone unturned. What we found was a multitude of Asian Shore Crabs hiding under these rocks. They are a destructive invasive species that has flourished in the Boston Harbor. The kids really enjoyed learning about this foreign species. I can't wait to see what adventures we will have next week!

Catch you on the flip side,

Conor B. Newman

A bad start but a beautiful ending!

It was yesterday that I woke up with the biggest sun burn on my whole body. I honestly couldn't drag myself out of bed. It was exhausting waking up with the biggest migraine I ever had in the past year.I felt like my brain was tanning as well, But you know what, I was not prepared for that kind of weather. However I kept thinking about how many kids I could not help and teach due to some family responsibilities and due to my sun burn. It kept bothering me until I went to South Boston Sailing Center. As soon as I got there my pain all over my back, legs, arms and brain all soothed out. I completely forgot I was cooking under the sun. I saw my team setting up crab traps and fixing one of the fishing rods that I broke trying to catch a fish:-(

I'm not good at fishing, but I caught seaweed!! I see lots of children surrounding my teammates and I'm wondering what I should do till the mean time, mind you these kids are so outspoken they introduced themselves before I even got to say hi to Aaron, my team leader. Immediately I took four girls into the beach and searched for crabs and muscles. I completely forgot how bad my day was going, after I saw the smiles on these kids faces. After we found like 8 crabs or more total I actually begged the girls to stop searching for crabs because it was like an addiction to them. I got to admit as long as I saw them with their million dollar smiles I couldn't break them down. So we kept searching, collecting and bugging out.

Finally when they got tired we slowly walked back to the center and they were so exhausted from the heat and excitement that I see them jumping out of the docks and running right back yelling my name to catch more crabs. I couldn't resist. I was so happy they even remembered my name. So we set up crab traps sat around and laughed through the whole program. At the end of the day the kids were yelling "Bye Denise, Hope to see you tomorrow!!" I left with a memory full of sparkles and smiles that I will never forget. I gotta say it was a beautiful pleasant ending!

- Densie Caban

All Acess Boston Harbor

Yesterday was another fabulous day out on the harbor. We set out for Georges' Island and once we got there B.J., Conor, Thi, and I found our picnic table in the shade and made ready for lunch and planning for that day's activities. Thi keeps us all happy with her bag of cherries, Conor usually forgets his lunch and B.J. typically drops his ketchup laden hot dog all over the table. But the real fun began at a table 20 yards away.

A family had left their picnic at their table, along with their trash, and gone in to explore the fort. That's when the thieves arrived. Disguised as gulls they swooped in to steal the food (and trash) and create a general mess. Thi and Conor donned their invisible superhero capes but to no avail. Even a guy from another table gave it a go running after them as if he too were a gull but no success. Finally a park ranger arrived on the scene, surveyed the crime in progress, and radioed for back up. Soon another ranger arrived and ran in to the fort to find the owners of the dwindling food and trash. And finally, armed with rubber gloves and trash picking implements, two more rangers arrived by motorized cart complete with flashing yellow light, to clean up the destruction. The perpetrators of course, had flown the coop.

When the family arrived there were no gulls, no rangers, no food, no trash, and no humor.
Family and Rangers-0. Gulls-1.

Don't leave your food or trash unattended on the islands.

Cheers,
David

First Day

My first day of work this summer was probably the best work day I have had for the past three summers. My first site was at Blacks Creek, when I first saw all the children we would be working with, I got a little nervous. That feeling however did not last long, it was replaced with excitement as soon as we saw how excited they were about the activities. It was very nice to see just how much they knew about marine life and how interested they were in the topic. I could not help but to enjoy my first day, working for Save the Harbor is awesome!!

Cesc