The Friends of Wollaston Beach present... KidsFest!

This Saturday September 6th, fellow SHE Iris and I headed to Quincy for the Friends of Wollaston Beach KidsFest.  KidsFest is an annual public event that received support from a Better Beaches grant this year.  The stormy weather held off for the first couple hours of the well-attended event.  It was low tide on the beach, with plenty of sand space for games and activities for the crowds of kids to enjoy.  A DJ provided music and kept sack races and hula hooping contests lively.

 Iris and I brought along Larry the Lobster for a low-key touch tank.  We found some tiny crabs on the beach-- so small I wasn't sure what kind of crab they might have been.  We helped to run games and activities, and we also spread the word about the Simply Marble-ous Contest, which you can learn more about here.

The humid weather provided for a beautiful rainbow-- before the storm rolled in!

Thanks to the Friends of Wollaston Beach for orchestrating a great free event for youth and families to celebrate the end of the summer!

Friends of Wollaston Beach KidsFest

Hello Everyone,

 Setting up our touch tank!

Last weekend I was part of the Friends of Wollaston Beach KidsFest event. Upon arriving to Wollaston Beach I was greeted by Neil McCole who is the head of the Friends of Wollaston Beach group. We set up our touch tank to include Larry the Lobster, a green crab, clams, a razor clam,  hermit crabs, and  periwinkles. By the time we were done setting up the touch tank,  the rest of the beach was over taken by loads of kids.

Tom teaching kids about the marine life in Boston Harbor

Along with our touch tank we helped out with the various of activities that were planned for the event. Activities included: the Football toss, the frisbee toss, and potato sack races.  After each game the winners were called up to the front table to claim their prize.   Music played during the entire KidsFest.

One of the main attractions of the event was the annual duck hunt.  In the ocean were a bunch of rubber ducks that had numbers written on the bottom of them.  Each kid ran into the ocean to grab a duck and then waited for Mr. McCole to call a number.  Once Neil McCole called the lucky number one  little boy ended up winning a Kindle Fire HD tablet.

Winner of the duck hunt

Now came time for the marble hunt in which all the kids were searching Wollaston Beach to find a blue and while marble. If they found one of those precious marbles, they would be entered to win a round trip ticket on Jet Blue to fly any where in the United States.  After that it was time to wrap up for the day.  What better way to end the event than to have a dance party on the beach!

Overall, it was a great event that brought a community of families together.  No better  way to spend aa summer afternoon than by having a big party on the beach.

See ya' next time when I blog about my adventures on Peddocks Island!

Adios,

Davis

Friends of Wollaston Beach KidsFest.

This weekend I had the privilege to head down to Wollaston Beach in Quincy to help with the annual KidsFest, hosted by the Friends of Wollaston Beach. Upon arrival the crew and I received a warm welcome from the volunteers there, in particular from Neil McCole who heads up the fantastic organization.

Setting up at KidsFest.

As the event got underway families streamed onto the beach to take advantage of all the awesome stuff provided for them free of charge. Friends of Wollaston beach had organized for moonbounces, a duck hunt, sack races, hula hooping, jump roping and many other fun activities for the kids to participate in. On top of this they also brought a truckload of prizes to be handed out throughout the afternoon.

Our touch tank was also a hit.

Perhaps my favorite event, and the one with the best prizes, was the duck hunt. Rubber duckies were placed in the ocean and the kids were gathered at the top of the beach. At the sound of a horn the kids all rushed down into the water to grab a duck, all of which looked slightly different from one another. Some of the lucky kids who managed to grab a duck holding a football were given brand new boogie boards. Everyone else got to take home the duckies they had grabbed and were certainly privileged to get other prizes over the course of the event. Indeed, due to the generosity of the Friends of Wollaston Beach and their partners, no one went home empty handed. 

Coming from the water with a captured duck.

Afterwards the beach-goers went on a hunt for the blue and white Jet Blue marbles, with three or four being found. Finally as the sun set the team and I helped handout mass quantities of glow in the dark gear to help fuel the kids dance party, an event furthered by the exceptional DJ skills of Neil, despite the modest opinion of his own talent behind the booth.

Overall it was a fantastic event that got a lot of families out enjoying a spectacular beach. I cant imagine a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon... well, maybe besides fishing on said beach.

- Tom Rebula

Wollaston Beach Discovery Day 7/13

The Department of Conservation and Recreation hosted Wollaston Beach Discovery Day this past Saturday on July 13th. They provided informational material about testing water quality at Wollaston and even provided a water quality test kits for kids to use. Friends of Wollaston Beach and the Aquarium also had informational tables and touch tanks available. The kids learned how to test the amount of bacteria and oxygen in the water.

Annie Adams from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay testing the water quality at Wollaston Beach

Informational Poster about Water Quality by Emily Ostroff from DCR

Despite the overcast weather, Quincy community members brought their families to the beach and enjoyed building sandcastles, throwing frisbees, and hula hooping. They had the opportunity to see the animals that live in the ocean water, what types of shells are commonly found in the sand, and how to keep their beach clean and healthy. It was not a bad way to spend a cloudy Saturday afternoon. 

Until the next Better Beaches event stay sandy,
Iris Ayala

Mr. Lobster and his Friends

Today Sarah, Karrisha, Mekhi, and I were welcomed with open arms at Wollaston Beach. The moment we stepped foot on the beach, a reporter from the Patriot Ledger immediately wanted to interview Sarah. Our touch tank was a big hit not only with the children but also with the adults. Even though our touch tank only consisted of a lobster, everyone was excited to touch and hold him. Dylan, our first visitor, had the chance to name the lobster Mr. Lobster. The kids were skeptical about touching Mr. Lobster but some worked up the courage to even hold him. Because of the extremely hot weather, the Save the Harbor crew had to consistently change the water, but luckily Mr. Lobster's new friends were kind enough to help us out. Meeting Mr. Lobster was not the only activity that Wolalston Beach had. There was a moon bounce, face painting, music, and free drinks and slushies, and kite flying. DJ Kevin hosted a bunch of games and dance contests for the children, and he even gave away some prizes. Our very own Karrisha even participated in a quick game of "Kevin Says". During the event, we also met some of the members from Friends of Wollaston. Before this event, I had no idea how much of an impact Save the Harbor Save the Bay had on its surrounding communities. Wollaston Beach Kid Fest was definitely a great way to celebrate Save the Harbor's 25th anniversary.

Kassy

Dancing in the Park and Swimming in the Sea

Hey all! Last week not only seemed to be a busy week for myself, but everyone seemed to have an eventful few days considering the hot weather. On Tuesday I participated in the Friends of Wollaston Beach's "Dancing in the Park" with a couple of other friends from Save the Harbor. Although we did arrive a little unorganized (we searched the beach for literally anything to put on display; we even resorted to seaweed and bird feathers!) nevertheless we had a great time and children learned a lot about the marine environments around them.

The lobster touch tank was a hit, and I even learned a lot about lobsters myself! It was so funny to see small children overcome their fears to actually pet a lobster up close (many of the kids saying that they usually only see lobsters at the supermarkets). The smaller items that we had on display, such as clam and mussel shells, feathers, seaweed, and other small marine life, were also a big hit. It is pretty interesting how we take for granted biological wonders that we sometimes pass off as trivial; I was surprised to see how many people could not distinguish a clam from a mussel shell. Therefore, while examining shorelines, catching fish, or exploring any other maritime area, I will always examine anything I find; who knows, I might learn something new!

As for McDonough Sailing Center, it was really hot! Luckily, the kids were begging me to go swimming with them; how could I refuse the beautiful ocean on such a hot day (102 degrees to be exact) ? Little did I know that once I got in the water, the campers were planning to launch a water war on me. So, after a little while of swimming, and a little crabbing, and some fishing thrown in there as well, I was able to call it a week.

- David

Sunshine, Beaches and the Weekend

The sun warmed our skin, reminding us that today was going to be a hot one. The beach would be filled with laughing children and splashing water in the enjoyment of a clean place to cool off on a hot summer day. This was not the only excitement on Wollaston Beach. Today was special; it was KidsFEST.

Slushies and waters were provided to those enjoying the event and crowds swarmed in as the DJ provided the dance party. If you have never seen a bouncy castle at a kids event, then you do not know the sight of pure pleasure on a child’s face. In Wollaston, this was not the only thing you
could see on children’s faces. The face painting station was frequented by those in attendance and kids were excited to share the many artistic masterpieces now present on arms and faces of their owners.

As I arrived on sight with my crew of blue shirted Save the Harbor/Save the Bay staffers, I was greeted by the friendly staff of the Friends of Wollaston Beach. We gathered water from down at the shore line and trekked back up the beach with it to provide Mr. Lobster with a safe place to enjoy the event. Little did we know we would be making this trek many a time on this hot summer day to make sure the water was cold enough for Mr. Lobster’s standards. Kids came
by with friends, siblings and family members to see what may be hiding in the mysterious touch tank. Some just said hello, others came back later and a few had to be pulled away by mom and dad because they wanted to stay with Mr. Lobster forever.

If you want to know a great way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon, just come down to KidsFEST on Wollaston Beach and you will be more than entertained.

-Sarah Appleton (Friends of Wollaston Beach- KidsFEST, July 23)

Kids Festival at Wollaston Beach

On Saturday, October 23, some of the Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay staff and I went to the Wollaston Beach Kids Festival. We could have not asked for more beautiful weather! We were instantly greeted by friends of Wollaston beach staff and lots of excited children. We sat up our table and touch tank which held Lucy the Lobster. All of the kids and parents loved looking and learning about the lobster. Michelle and John showed me how to tell the difference between a male/female lobsters. I also learned that lobsters can grow back their limbs!

What I loved most about the event was watching how much the children loved seeing and touching the lobster. Though some were scared at first they all were so excited to see a lobster so close! Having never really seen a lobster so close I was surprised at how big they are…especially their claws! At the festival there was, music, pumpkin painting, cooking decorating and of course pizza! All of us had so much fun and was happy that we had such beautiful weather.

Ariel