Family Fun Night!

Family fun night was hosted on Carson Beach located in South Boston. It was definitely an awsome night for me, I had an amazing time with the kids. There was a ton of Disney songs playing such as Tarzan, Lilo and stich, Beauty and the Beast, and many more! There were also hot dogs, slushies, and of course popcorn for storytime!

When we arrived we had a little problem because we had no water for our touch tank. We tried to go out to get some water from the beach, but it was low tide and it was quite difficult to walk through the mud. But we did manage to grab some seaweed and a little water for the sea friends in the touch tank. We brought Larry and Lareta (the 2 lobsters), 2 spider crabs, many green crabs, and some snails. For once the center of attention of our touch tank this time wasn't the lobsters, but the spider crabs! We got many questions about them and the plankton on the seaweed, which was quite intresting. Another thing that was the center attention of the Family Fun Night was the blue marbles for the raffle for the Jet Blue round trip ticket, that got alot of attention. Some of our Save the Harbor staff went to hide the marbles. The kids went wild looking for those blue marbles! From windows, to sand, even to flower pots, the kids looked everwhere they could! It was entertaining watching them scouring the whole Carson beach searching for the marbles.

Overall, I had an amazing time and it looked like many other people that attended would agree. I'm most definitely looking forward to other events like this.

Well, I'll catch you later,

Nhu

Family Fun Night at Carson Beach Turned Into ZUMBA!

Hello everyone! I had such a blast at Family Fun Night in South Boston at Carson Beach. I loved showing kids the amazing touch tank we had! We had starfish, green, spider and red rock crabs, and we had "LARRY THE LOBSTAH." I enjoyed my time being with children they were so brave and adventurous about touching all the crustaceans that we found at different work sites. As you can see, I also enjoyed the free Zumba workout at Family Fun Night! The dances were such a workout, but I also danced too! The kids who danced and worked out with us seem to enjoy it just as much as I did! This event was totally worth it!

      -Juelle Benjamin

Family Night at Carson Beach

On Thursday Night, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay participated in Family Fun Night at Carson Beach. This event was ran by the South Boston Neighborhood House. As a participant in the event, STH/STB brought a touch tank to show some of our many underwater creatures which have been locally caught at one of our sites. In the touch tank, we had Larry the Lobster, green crabs, spider crabs, red rock crabs, and a few sea stars.

A sample of our touch tank

 When we arrived at Carson Beach, the event was already in full swing! There were lots of activities for families to do. Activities ranged from Zumba dancing and face painting to seeing our awesome touch tank and learning about the marine life that live in Boston Harbor.

Here I am with one of the brave kids who wanted to hold Larry.

After our touch tank was set up, the groups of kids and adults were excited to see what Save the Harbor had in their touch tanks. All the kids were happy to see the crabs and the sea stars. Most of the kids even volunteered to hold them. When we showed kids Larry the Lobster we saw various reactions. Some of the kids would run away scared, some would walk slowly up to Larry to touch his shell, then we had the kids who were so excited that they wanted to hold Larry.

We always told the kids and adults that Larry's claws were banded.  Larry couldn't use his claws, so they would not get hurt. The best part of the event was seeing how happy the kids were and watch how they kept wanting to learn more about the marine life in our tank.

Here is one of the many excited kids we saw throughout the event.

Adios,

Davis 

Family Fun Night at Carson Beach

A few of our Touch Tank stars

On Thursday evening, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay participated in Family Fun Night, a community event organized by the South Boston Neighborhood House. Touch tank in hand, myself and a handful of summer staffers headed down to Carson Beach to partake in the festivities. And boy was it festive! The event was held near the bathhouse and there were a variety of activities for kids to participate in, from face painting to boat rides to Castle Island to Zumba classes, there was no shortage of fun for all the kids and their families. Save the Harbor was there with a touch tank full of sea critters: sea stars, green crabs, red rock crabs, spider crabs and, of course, Larry the Lobster. Even with all the other fun activity choices around, the STH Touch Tank always had a crowd of kids (and adults) waiting to hold Larry or a sea star.

Double thumbs up for Family Fun Night!

Watching the kids’ faces upon seeing Larry was like watching a short movie and you could see the wide range of emotions that they were feeling. The initial facial expression was usually of surprise/terror; then they would peek out from behind their parent’s leg and slowly their curiosity would get the better of them. We’d assure them that Larry’s claws were rubberbanded and he couldn’t hurt them and they would cautiously inch closer and closer. Finally, they would poke at Larry’s carapace, and seeing that Larry was indeed not able to pinch them, they would put their whole hand on him and a huge grin of accomplishment and excitement would appear on their faces. It was great to see kids exploring new things and stepping out of their comfort zones and I’m glad Save the Harbor was there to provide that opportunity.

 -Sarah C

South Boston: Family Night

Last Thursday night I met several kids who have not held nor seen a live crab or lobster. This, of course, makes my job all the more interesting.

The kids were so wowed and intrigued by the way a lobster's slippers flapped as it begged to return to the sea water. 

I was able to get each and everyone of the visitors to touch and hold the lobster and crab!

And to make the experience a classic, we had to end in a crab race!

I really enjoyed my time with you guys!

Thanks,

Karrisha Gillespie 

The Summer's Not Over Yet!

It may be September already, but the beautiful days to enjoy our Harbor and our beaches certainly aren't over yet! And nobody knows this better than our Better Beaches groups- who are working to bring their communities to their beaches throughout the entire year. Our friends over at the South Boston Neighborhood House hosted their second "Family Fun Night" of the summer on September 2nd, reminding us that summer isn't over-- there's plenty more fun to be had, and plenty more memories to be made, on our beaches this year!

Sarah Appleton and I headed over to McCormick Bathhouse for Family Fun Night - one of my favorite Better Beaches events. The Neighborhood House consistently creates events that are shining examples of what the Better Beaches program is about: They've received just a small sum from the Better Beaches Grant Program (which the South Boston community raised themselves this year at the Cupid Splash!) and they've leveraged it into something so much bigger, tying in so many more pieces of the community and bringing families together against our favorite backdrop: the Harbor. Kids and their families listened to a local storyteller, created paintings and spin art with local artists, played on the beach, danced to the DJ, ate, and spent time together. Boston Public School representatives were there with information for parents about the new year, the South Boston Community Heath Center was on hand with information about healthier lifestyles for families, and Sarah and I were there providing some marine science. But my favorite part? Super Duck Tours donated free rides to and from Castle Island in the Super Duck Boat, an exciting new way for families to experience the Harbor together, and a great example of expanding the vision and creativity of what a Better Beaches event can be!

The South Boston community, and all of our Better Beaches groups, do a phenomenal job with pooling and leveraging what they have and what they are given through their grants. They don't just say, "We have this amount of money, what can we do with it?" They ask: "What are our resources as a community?" and "Who else can get involved?" It's really amazing to see what they create and who joins the fun.

The sunset brought some chilly air in South Boston, but the party continued. I know that some of my favorite memories as a child were on the beach on nights like this, late in the season, wrapped in a sweatshirt, cold sand under my feet, seeing lights sparkle all around me across the water. And in those memories, I was always with my family. The South Boston Neighborhood House is creating memories like that-- time spent together on a gorgeous night as the summer dwindles. I'm very proud to be a part of giving families the chance to make these memories together.

But hold on.... these kids get duck boat rides, storytellers, and spin art? Little elementary-school me is very, very jealous.

Hope to see you on the beach all year round!

Michelle

Family Fun Night

Last night, July 22nd at Carson Beach, there was first Family Fun Night held by the South Boston Neighborhood House. Save the Harbor staff Dan, Carolyn, and Tom Reagan went to teach the youth with the touch tank. Earlier in the day Dan and Carolyn had been lucky enough to catch two lobsters! The kids eyes widened as saw the massive lobsters come out of the tank.

The weather was gorgeous. They really enjoyed the beautiful weather and had a great time. The organizers did a fantastic job. The families even signed a poster thanking Save the Harbor/Save the Bay!

Cassie

South Boston Family Fun Night

Last night's Family Fun Night was a great time! Dan, Carolyn, and I staffed the event, which was over before I even noticed. Time flew by as kid after kid came up to play with the marine creatures we brought in the touch tank. We were lucky enough to bring two lobsters, which Dan and Carolyn caught earlier that day. In a separate tank, we had some periwinkles and Asian shore crabs that we caught right at Carson Beach. The lobsters were definitely the biggest hit. I often saw wide-eyed shocked faces when I would pull up the massive lobster.

The weather was also great making for an all around successful night. The organizers for the event did a fantastic job with everything, even having the families sign

a poster thanking Save the Harbor! I had a lot of fun and am glad I was there.

-Tom Regan