Goodbye Everyone

It has been a pleasure working with Save the Harbor Save the Bay for another summer. I really enjoyed working with everyone and with all the children that I would work with everyday. I love teaching the kids new things and I feel like I have accomplished my goals for this summer. One of the goals that I have accomplished was being more patient with the children. Also being able to be taught by the children as well. I would love to continue working here for the next few summers to come. It has been an awesome experience and I will take this experience to other people. I love everyone and I hope you all have a great rest of the summer.

Kids Beach Blast Splash

Friday was an awesome day with the kids. There were over four hundred kids at the beach that were having a great time. We had stations with different activities for them to do. I was at the Art station with Thi and Cassie. Thi drew pictures of animals that you would find in the harbor. She also made a Sponge Bob Square Pants theme. I sat down on the floor and started coloring with the kids. On the wall, there was a huge fish for everyone to put their names on. I gave the kids fish scales made out of paper, and told them to write their name and write something interesting that they loved.

At the other stations, there were children everywhere. Some were running around or playing games that they enjoyed. The big part of the day was when all the kids lined up along the shore of the beach and waited for the countdown to run into the water. When the final number was called, everyone ran into the water at the same time. It was amazing ! Everyone was having such a great time. I even had the chance to play with my coworkers. We started to play "Taps" in a huge circle. I would tap the ball to someone and always bump into Makhi. At this event, there was a lot of bonding and everyone interacted with one another.

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

Becoming better fishers

While at the Children's Museum, there were so many children that came through to go fishing. They were so happy to fish and for some it was their very first time. We did not catch any fish, but they still kept trying and never gave up. There was a group of kids with special needs that were encouraged to fish because of the others. I never worked with kids that had special needs and I thought it would be difficult to teach them. I worked with a girl that really wanted to learn how to fish. I took my time with her and became very helpful at the same time. She told me that she had gone fishing before so I encouraged her to catch her first fish. She was awesome. She learned how to fish faster than the other kids. She knew exactly what to do right after I showed her the first time. In the afternoon at community boating, there was a kid named David that was a much better fisher than I am. He caught over eight fish through the day. I was so jealous. I told him that he should become a fisherman. I was amazed of how experienced he was at such a young age. There was a girl named Safier who had complications with catching a fish. I told her to keep trying and to not be impatient because fishing takes time and lots of patience. Today I was so happy for her because she caught her first fish while working with us.

-LaToya

Mr Lobster? Miss Lobster?

Many people do not know the difference between a male and female lobster. At the children's museum we borrowed a lobster from a sea food place called "Hook". We used the lobster to show the kids different things about its anatomy. I explained to them the difference between a female and a male. I told them that if the Swimmeret part was soft and hairy, it was a female and that if the Gonophore was hard, it was a male. In the afternoon at Community Boating, I went fishing with the kids. We used sugar, water, and flour as bait to catch sunfish. There was one child that caught over five fish. We realized that the technique we used was really working. It was weird at first to know that fish would eat flour and sugar, but I learned that fish mainly eat anything.

-LaToya

Sharks and Minos plus Crab Learning

At Constitution Beach, the kids are very energetic and so excited to come every Wednesday and fish and explore the beach. At first, we played sharks and Minnows to let them run around and have a good time. I played as well, and so did my other coo-workers. The kids run faster than I do and I was caught when the game started. I had to sit on the floor and pretend that I was a crab trying to get people. After we played the game, we had the kids explore the beach, where they found a bunch of hermit crabs and snails. No one caught a fish but they tried so hard to do so. I explained how the hermit crabs have hard shells to protect themselves from getting eaten. Also when they get bigger in size, they have to leave the smaller shell and look for a bigger one. We put everything in the touch tank, and if there was something that we didn't know about a certain animal, we would look it up in the guide book.

-LaToya

First week !!

The first week of work has been a blast. At the Boston Children's Museum, there was a group of kids that were so thrilled to be able to fish. One child wanted me to teach him how to cast the line into the water. I taught him the steps of casting, and on the first try, he did it perfectly. At the site, my coo-workers and I caught over eight crabs. There was a time when I was pulling the crab trap out of the water and I saw a huge spider crab hanging from the line. At first I thought that the spider crab was a stick that got caught on the line, but then it began to move. The crab went into the touch tank. The children could not believe what they were looking at. They claimed that they never seen anything so big. There was a little girl maybe at the age of three, she held the crab even though she was scared. She held it by herself and I was excited for her because she had faced her fear of the crab.

On Wednesday, at the Constitution Beach, there was a huge group of kids that came out to fish and do different activities with us. We all played a game where there were five groups of kids and they had to run to the end of the line and act out a animal that lives in the water. The marine educators and I had to stand at the end of the line to guess what the sea animal was.

After the game we all practiced how to cast the line. The group of kids I had were very enthusiastic and were ready to learn. They loved doing it so much that they did not want to stop. My group only had one fishing rod so they had to share and take turns casting. When it was time to go, there were three kids in my group that did not get the advantage to cast the line. I felt bad for them so I stayed down the beach and had them cast. From this experience I realized that I have to work hard because the children I see everyday work hard to learn.

LaToya

LaToya Glass

Hello everyone, my name is LaToya and I am returning back to work with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay for the second summer. I am a sophmore college student at American International College in Springfield. My major is currently undeclared, but I am taking Criminal Justice classes. Coming back to Save the Harbor has been a special privilege. I have the chance to have more experience with fishing and teaching others about the harbor. Everyday I work with children that are so excited to be able to take part in the program. When they leave to go home with a smile on their faces, I also go home happy because I have done my part. In doing so, it makes me continue to be the best worker there is. There is not one day that I do not go home without learning something new. Sometimes the children teach me things that I never knew before. It is important that I am not doing all the teaching, but that we will teach each other and learn from one another. This job has made me a better person in a way where I am more patient and love what I do. I may be drained by the end of the day, but it was all for a good cause.

LaToya

Last Day :(

Today was my last day of work which I spent at Courageous Sailing Center Dorchester.
I spent most of my time playing football with the kids. The only part that wasn't really any fun was getting the ball thrown into the water, but it was eventually retrieved.
I had a great time throughout the summer at many different sites, and I appreciated the help some more experienced staff gave to me. I learned not only about the harbor, but about the kids, which to me is the most important part. Even on my first day I had no trouble fitting in with the staff. Today was my last day of this summer, but I hope I will have the chance to have many more Save the Harbor days!

-Tim Grogan

All Access

Today at All Access, Thi, Tim, Emily, and I were getting ready for the school groups. Thi and I went to the grocery store to get apples, oranges, and plums for the boat ride. When we got back to where the boats were, Thi lifted the lobster trap and found a small green crab. When the groups arrived Thi took a group picture holding up the Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay banner. When the crab ws brought over, the kids were so into it. They asked many questions like "where did we find it?" "how was it caugh?" "is it still alive?"Everyone wanted to hold it. They handled the crab with care. No once did I or the other staff have to take the crab away from them, from putting it in danger.

There were big posters drawings of jelly fish, shells, and etc. The kids sat around the bar table to color in the shapes. They worked together, and let someone else join in to color. Two girls were working together and they made a stratergy of coloring the bubble letters with color pencil, and out lining the shape. When they ate their lunches they did not have their trash thrown everywhere. I was surprised because the kids were very young, but so responsible. Some kids would ask the staff where the trash was instead of leaving it on the table. I did not want to leave because I had a great time hanging out with the kids. I wanted to go on the boat with Thi and Tim so bad but couldn't. sad face. Overall it was a great morning and I hope I would have this opportunity once again.

Peace,

LaToya

The Treasures of Spectacle Island

On August 9, we had an all staff day event. I must say it was great team building and a lot of fun. We went to the New England Aquarium to catch the ferry and it brought everyone over to Spectacles Island.

The ride was relaxing even though it was a short ride. When we got there, we sat around for at least 15 minutes trying to figure out where the boundaries were to play capture the flag. The captians Michelle, and Caroline had a hard time picking teams. I ended up with Conor, Tim, and Marc on my team, on the second round. When it was time to hide the flags, my team hid it in the white tube that was very hard to find (thats what we thought). When the game

actually started Conor was no where to be found. He hid in a ditch, on top of the hill, to protect our flag. He told my team that he needed tape to put leaves all over his body for camaflage.

The game started out rough for my team because most of us were in jail. Aruna and Marc were the fastest team mates. We were screaming for Michelle to free us, but Caroline was on her tackle mode. Meanwhile, the rest of us were standing there trying to figure out where Conor went for half of the game. When Tom caught our flag, all the sudden we see Conor jump out next to the jail and said "The game is over" How Hilarious! He started to complain about his feet because he went into thorn bushes beer foot and said he might have poison ivy. Then Thi came out bleeding on the side of her leg from trying to walk in the bushes.

After the game, everyone was up for lunch. I found it interesting that we ate on Bruce's boat. Bruce, Matt, and Patty prepared a good lunch for everyone. There were hot dogs, steak, watermelon, cookies, chips, and snaples. I had a great time on the boat. Everyone laughed and joked around. Conor was serving watermelons, and said it was 10 cents a piece. LOL! Meanwhile, Bj was stealing chips from everyones plate, and there was a big laugh about how Tim was the youngest one out of all of us. Bruce and Patty made a wonderful speech about how appreciated they were to have workers like us. Michelle, I guess, needed a moment to herself there. Tear Tear. Group pictures were taken of the moment we shared with each other. This was a fabulous way to end our lunch time.

LaToya

One Awesome Staff

Hello all! I had a great second week in South Boston, Dorchester, and the Boston Children's Museum. I would definitely stay at these sites for the rest of the summer if I could, but I'm also SO excited to move forward and see what Quincy and Camp Harbor View are all about. I know they'll bring their own amazing memories to what is already an unforgettable summer.

While there are so many aspects of my job this summer that get better and better with each passing week, there's one aspect I'm growing particularly fond of--- and that's getting to build great relationships with my co-workers and to see how much they are growing as individuals this summer. We have a great set of seasoned college assistants, and a talented, bright group of junior assistants, including many MLK Summer Scholars. We span a decade in our ages (pictured, you can see our youngest staffer, Timmy "The Kid" Grogan, holding our biggest catch of the summer so far), we live in various Boston neighborhoods, and, besides the Harbor, we have our own interests and hobbies. Regardless of our different backgrounds, however, I really felt us come together in the last two weeks. Now that we've finished up Week 4 and are heading into Week 5, almost everyone has gotten to work together at the different sites, and we've all comfortably settled in to working with one another. And now that we've all had several chances to see what works at the different sites, we're learning from each other's best practices. It's also great to see the younger staffers take on so much responsibility with such ease and confidence, so much so that I am completely comfortable with taking a step back and letting them steer the day in their own personal direction. I am proud to work alongside such a great group.

I was especially impressed with Mark Rose this week, who took on the responsibility of setting up and using our new underwater camera in South Boston. As the kids gathered around to monitor a submerged crab trap for signs of an unsuspecting victim, Mark ran the show; and if the camera started to act up, Mark diagnosed and remedied the problem like a pro. I'm blessed to be surrounded by talented people like Mark, passionate people like LaToya, hilarious people like Conor and Tom, and many other staffers with strengths of their own, all summer. Everyone brings something different to the table. Dare I say it? I know I'm learning more from them than they are learning from me this summer.

Harbor Love,

Michelle

Camp Harbor View

On Wednesday at Camp Harbor View, the kids were eager to learn how to fish. Some of the kids love fishing and taught others how to cast and put bait on the hooks. Most of them had went fishing before and had a contest to see who would be the first one to catch a fish. On the dock all of us would joke around and have fun, but learn at the same time. I was surprised at how many crabs we caught with the crab trap. There were at least over fifteen crabs in the bucket. Some of the kids did not want to hold nor touch the crabs because of the pinchers. I would show them how to properly pick them up, and ask them which crabs were invasive. From the time that I had been there, the kids had more knowledge and were learning much more. They were even more excited about casting. I would try to be more fun by asking them who can cast the farthest. When someone was having problems casting,I would teach them the basics like knowing how to hold the rod so it won't go flying in the water. It was a pleasure to be with the kids at Camp Harbor View. They are always looking for something new and ready for exploring.

LaToya

Scavenger Hunt

On Tuesday at Blacks Creek, Aaron, Alex, Dan, and I did a scavenger hunt to help the kids identify living creatures in the water. We split the kids into four groups and went on the beach to start the hunt. They were all excited because they love finding crabs and knowing if it was male or female. My group was scattered all over the beach to find whatever they can that was on the list. The group that won would have the pleasure of fishing. At the same time all groups were helping each other and learning as they went along. All the kids were getting along and asked each other questions. Most of the time they know the answer, but if they do not know they ask me or the other staff. The bonus point of the hunt was to find a horseshoe crab. The kids found at least three and were amused on how it looked. They would ask questions about the tail, and how many eyes it had. They would pick it up and count how many legs it had. I had a girl named Mary-Kate measure the horseshoe crab she had. She named it "Bubbles" because it had small shells on it's back, and it looked like bubbles. Her face lit up when she found it and showed it to her friends. It was the capture of the week and it was a great day.

LaToya

Summer Staff Take the Lead

A fond memory I carry with me from year to year at Save the Harbor is watching the younger youth staff take on larger responsibilities within their job title as the summer progresses. Every summer the youth staff watch and learn from the Senior Marine Educators and as the summer quickly moves ahead you will see their confidence level rise. It is a great reward as a teacher watching the students, children participating in the programs and the young youth staff take the lead on the docks.

For example, Latoya and I where working at the Boston Children's Museum one day. It was just the two of us and usually I would have to delegate a job for a youth assistant in the morning, but Latoya found her role that day very quickly. She was keeping an eye out for the touch tank, making sure that if a child was interacting with it one of us was there. She was always engaging the parents and children that participated for the day. I was excited to see her confidence in teaching the young participants take shape.

Watching the youth staff take on responsibility with the children at the sailing centers is a great reward. I know that the youth are finding confidence in themselves to lead education on the waterfront and take ownership of their harbor. These young stewards are working hard for us here at Save the Harbor and deserve recognition. By the end of the summer I feel confident that these young adults are ready for the work world, ready to continue their education, are full of confidence in themselves, have proven responsibility, and ready to take risks in order to give themselves a chance at life.

Thank you to all my summer staff for making this happen and teaching me along the way. It has been a great summer thus far and I look forward to finishing out the summer with a BANG!

- Jennifer Last

Finding a New Home in the Harbor

I know I've taken over the blog a bit these past couple days with crab and water testing, but I can't resist sharing my amazing week with you all and thanking everyone who was a part of it. I'll bullet-point my highlights to try and keep it short, but, coming off the my favorite week of the summer so far, I can't make any promises...

• I got to work with the Dream Team this week- LaToya, Aruna, Tommy, and myself meshed amazingly well together, and I can't thank them enough for the passion they put in to what we were doing. Plus, I really just had so much fun with them. Thanks guys!
• I felt very at home working at the Boston Children's Museum, getting to talk to families and have those quick windows of time to really connect with the great kids that pass through. Practically every child that comes over to our touch tank or our lobster trap encounters something new and has this unforgettable look of awe and wonder on his or her face. I'm never going to get sick of that look.
• I got to work alongside Jen Last a TON this week, who, aside from providing such a great support system to our youth staff this summer, is a great role model for anyone who seeks a future in marine education. I'm incredibly lucky to be learning the ropes from her and developing my own style of teaching in the process. Thank you, Jen!
• My kids all week asked some amazing questions, ranging from "Is a barnacle growing on a whale the same kind of thing as if my dog had a worm?" to "I know we can't use a native spider crab for bait, we should use an Asian Shore crab... what if a spider crab was in Asia, could we use it for bait there?" It was so rewarding to see those scientific wheels turning.
• Combined, my sites caught 5 fish this week-- the 5th of which was a 27-29 inch striper that we reeled in RIGHT as we were starting to pack up in South Boston this afternoon. I couldn't have asked for a better final note to finish the week!

For those of you who don't know, I moved here on a whim at the beginning of June. It was pretty scary to take a leap like that. I left the most important people in my life at home in Maryland, and I miss them all the time. I blindly hoped that Boston would present an outlet for my passion for environmental education, but I moved up without a job. Then Jen, Lindsay, Patty, and Bruce took me in and gave me the opportunity to be a part of this amazing group of people. It's not always easy to be 22 years old, in a new city, far away from my family, apartment hunting, trying to figure out what the next step in my life will be; but it's weeks like this that leave no doubt in my mind that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Lots of Harbor Love,

Michelle

Testing Theories: Lobster Discovered

After our visit to the Boston Children's Museum on Monday I started to question the seafloor in the Fort Point Channel. Is it too soft, muddy or is the habitat not optimal for lobsters? Well, first thing this morning Latoya, a young participant and myself had pulled up the lobster trap and behold a lobster! The lobster was above the regulation size of 3 1/4 inches from the eyes to the beginning of the tail (carapace) and could have been taken out of the ocean, but as an educator I prefer to practice catch and release. I was very pleased to have proven my theory

WRONG! There are lobsters, fish, crabs and sessile organisms that live in and around the Fort Point Channel.

After a successful day at the Boston Children's Museum the young boy who helped us bring the lobster in also helped us release the marine organisms back into the Fort Point Channel. Thank you to everyone who participated in Boston Harbor Explorers today. It was a lot of fun.

Jennifer Last

Why do I come back to Save the Harbor?

During the school year I am a high school Biology teacher that is confined to the classroom walls (at least the majority of the time) and come Spring I am ready to stand at the docks of the sail centers in and around Boston. I was reminded yesterday by the youth staff at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the children who participated in fishing 101 at the Boston Children's Museum why I enjoy working at the docks during the summer.

Although pictures can say a thousand words, I will leave you with a few from my experience at the Boston Children's Museum. All within in a minute a young boy from outside of Boston, whom was enjoying his visit at the Boston Children's Museum, put bait on a hook, cast the line out, and reeled in a cunner, small fish that lives by the pier. Watching the young boy take on all the responsibilities of fishing in front of his brother and parents was a exciting and on top of it asked to put the fish back to keep it alive. I was impressed!

Throughout the morning I watched the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay staff walk through tasks they have not done before. For example, Latoya, Michelle and I are not too excited to be cutting worms and baiting them, using clams, mussels, and fish is not a problem for us, but by the end of the morning we had all taken strides with our worm dilemma. Hooks were baited, worms were cut and we were all proud to overcome this minor anxiety of worms squirming after we cut and hooked them.

Throughout the summer I have witnessed many 'firsts' for the staff and children who participate in the youth programs. From fishing, visiting the harbor islands, boat trips, teaching, and becoming mentors to the children of Boston it is something I am proud to be apart of every summer, especially when the people around me experience it for the first time.

The memories I keep from my summers at Save the Harbor are all created by you! You are the ones who participate, teach and show us all how to have fun in the summer. THANK YOU!

Jen Last

Youth Program Coordinator

Boston Children's Museum

Yesterday at the Boston Children's Museum, my team and I were teaching the children how to fish and put the bait on the hooks. It was my first time I put a sea worm on the hook. I was so terrified because I thought it would bite me with it's two pincher's. It surprised me that the kids just picked them up without any problem. Some wanted to put the bait on the hook themselves, so I let them. At first I was staring at the sea worm to study how it moves, and how it sticks it's stomach out to try to bite something. Finally, I fought my fear by picking the worm up and putting it on the hook myself. Michelle and Jen looked at me and laughed because of my facial expressions. I finally did it.

Overall, the kids fished very well. They caught two small fish and some crabs. I was shocked at how some did not need help casting the line into the water. They knew how to cast beautifully. It was a great morning.

LaToya

The MLK Program

This morning today I attended the MLK Scholars Program. This was my second time attending and I have met all kinds of people. We watched a video of Martin Luther Kings speech "I have a dream" and it inspired almost everyone that was there. We have guest speakers that come out and talk about achieving your goals and applying ourselves to our dreams. They bring encouragement and leadership to everyone.

One speaker today told us a story about him playing basketball with Michael Jordan. He said that he loved to play basketball just like him, but basketball did not define who he truly was. He motivated us to set our goals high and to succeed in everything we do. We also had group activities, where we circle up and the director would ask us a question, and tell us to discuss the answer with a partner. This was a way to get to know each other. One question was, " What is your main goal you want to achieve and why?" When we were answering the questions I realized that we may all be different, but we want the same things in life. For example, the people that shared their answers all said that they wanted to graduate from college. We all have something in common and we are all one big family.

This program is an icebreaker because some people share personal thoughts that they may not want to express to others. We become more open to conversations and not shy to express how we feel. Having over three hundred teens in one room making connections is more than one step going towards change in our communities and peoples hearts.

LaToya Glass