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

Another unforgettable summer...

Remember how I mentioned in one of my blogs that hopefully by the end of summer at Piers Park we will catch a fish? Well... We did! Ironically, it happened on the very last day of camp! Also, It wasn't just no ordinary fish, but it was a squid! Which has never been caught here before. What a great memory, definitely one that will stick with me and the kids for a very longtime.

"I caught a squid!"

Its crazy and sad to realize that this summer is actually coming to an end and to know that this will be my last blog. Honestly, Save the Harbor Save the Bay has made another unforgettable summer for me. This summer, I got to met a group of funny, awesome, and amazing people. I also got a chance to grow many close friendships with the kids that will be apart of my memory. I will remember having tons of fun with the kids and my team playing a competitive game of capture the flag, fishing and crabbing, and of course all the laughs we had together. I had a fantastic summer and hopefully you all did too.

Besides all the fun, I also learned many things and developed many skills from working here, and most definitely will be using them in the future. Which makes me very grateful for having the honor and opportunity to be able to work for Save the Harbor Save the bay.
Very soon, I will be heading to college and there will be many changes in my life. I don't know what path college will take me and where it will lead me to. Whatever happens, I hope I will see you guys again someday. Till then, I wish you all the best and good luck.


Day one: When we all met each other for the first time.

Farewell,
I miss you guys already!
Nhu




A starfish! At McDonough?!

First starfish at McDonough

At the McDonough Sailing Center this week we actually had a starfish in our touch tank- which I find quite exciting because we never caught any here before! One of the staff members from McDonough took some of the kids out to search for some starfish, and came back with one starfish, a few hermit crabs and many Asian shore crabs! Making our mini touch tank complete, we made it more lively by adding a few pieces of seaweed, muscles with a few tiny shrimp, and a small sculpin fish! All of the kids were intrigued because for the first time our touch tank had something other than green crabs.

Our mini touch tank!

Fishing and crabbing seems to never get old for the kids here at McDonough. They get equally excited everyday when my team and I arrive to the site. They run towards us and start asking "whats for bait for today?" and grab the rods and start fishing right away! They sure make my job much easier and fun, and for that I feel pretty lucky. 

Well till next time!

I'll catch you guys later,

Nhu

Fishies at Piers Park!

Recently, at Piers Park we have been catching little fish in our crab traps! Probably because the temperature of the water has been getting warmer. The kids got really excited when we actually caught our first fish. It was the first fish we caught this summer at piers park, so it was pretty exciting. I'm hoping that we will actually be able to catch a fish on a rod by the end of this summer at Piers Park. We've been trying all sorts of ways, but so far still no fish. The kids are still very determined that they will be able to catch a fish everyday that they come, and I'm hoping they will. That would definitely be an unforgettable summer memory.

After fishing, the activity the kids seem to enjoy the most is the crab race! They get very competitive and come up with all these funny team names. It's surprising how fun it is to watch them cheer and encourage their crabs to walk faster. The best part is watching thier satisfaction when their team and crab wins.

Catch you later,

Nhu

Summer2014 Beach Bash: Get ready to be SPLASHED!

Prepared to be SPLASHED!

Last weekend, Save the Harbor hosted a beach bash and splash on M St. Beach. There were many stations such as swimming, face painting, sand castle building, and a touch tank filled with lobsters, green crabs, hermit crabs and even snails! There were also sports; volleyball, T-ball, and Frisbee. On top of that we were accompanied by 104.1 radio station for music. Over 600 kids were scattered all over at the event, and everyone looked like they were having an awesome time. I was working at the touch tank station and all the kids that came by were excited. There were many screams and laughter, we were all having a blast.

The Touch Tank Station

Chef!

Of course after all that fun everyone was hungry, and there were more than enough hot dogs for everyone. There were 2000 hot dogs being cooked and tons of hot dog buns being stacked in the trays and separated! I know that sounds like a lot of hot dogs, but they were gone every time I looked back. We had a whole system going and it was very organized, and fast.





At the end of the event, at the count of three all the kids ran into the water for a splash, and some of the Save the Harbor staff also decide to join. I honestly had an amazing time, and it looked like many other people could agree. Overall, I thought it was a sucessful event.


Looking forward to another!

Catch you later,
Nhu

Little visitors!

At McDonough Sailing Center Save the Harbor has been getting new little visitors. Some of the kids at McDonough having been going home and telling their siblings how much they have fun hanging out with us, that they invited their parents and siblings to come and join in on the fun! The best part about it is, that they have actually returned and their mom told me that her kids were so eager to come to McDonough to pick up their siblings so they could see the crabs and lobsters. It automatically puts a smile on my face when I see how happy and excited they look when they get to actually touch and hold one. They enjoy it so much to the point where they ask their mom to stay.

 It makes it even better when I encourage a kid to try something new. Such as being to scared to hold a crab, I actually never expect or force the kids to do it, but they somehow always have enough courage to hold them. The new little visitors would definitely have to be one of my highlights this week.


Catch you later,
Nhu

My first festival- the Boston Seafood Festival!

This Sunday was the first festival I have ever been to. The Seafood Festival 2014 was awsome, besides the weather of course. I was suprised because that same day, even though it was raining so hard and thunderstorming many people still stayed and attended the event. They all look like they were having a blast and so was I. There were people dressed as pirates, lobsters, crabs, and even a mermaid! There was great food, and the lines were crazy long.

The first kids to showed up, and try fish painting.

I remebered many people were attracted to our table because it was something different and intresting. We were doing fish painting and many people had never heard of it or knew what it was, including me. I remebered many random people walking by and asking, "is that a real fish?!" and were shocked that it really was. But after Sam taught all of us how to do it, it was really fun to do. I not only had fun that day, but also learned something new.

I'm sure I will be learning many more new things this summer with Save the Harbor.

Catch you later,
Nhu

Sunfish!

Wow! Ever since our group discovered that corn would be good bait we have been using it non-stop at Community Boating. Also, the fact that we have been catching fish and showing them to the kids made them believe that it is possible to catch fish out of the river, which is why a few more kids have been joining us to go fishing. We have been catching so many that we began running out of room for them.!

We also got a chance to use our underwater camera and it was very exciting. To be honest, I thought that we wouldn't see anything from the underwater camera but we actually did! Guess what we saw? Sunfish! Next week, maybe we can try going to a different location in the Charles River to see what else we will find with the underwater camera.

We have recently had a new goal; which is to catch a catfish from the Community Boating site. We still have not reached that goal yet but we will continue to try and are determined that we will catch one.



Using our underwater camera

At Courageous Sailing Center we haven't been catching any fish. On the other hand, we have been catching a whole lot of crabs from our traps! A bunch of green crabs, some red rock crabs, and starfish. Of course with the help from our little strong explores! The best part is the end of the day we always enjoy freeing our little friends back into the water.


Catch you later,
Nhu

My First Fish!

Well, I have to say today at Community Boating was quiet an exciting and unforgettable day for me. I finally caught my first fish ever! I caught not 1, not 2, but 3 sunfish. I never really had luck with fishing, but today was a different story. I got pretty lucky. After catching that fish, sitting in that hot beaming sun was worth it. I felt a sense of accomplishment. It felt good to say that we actually caught the fish this time and that they were not from the traps.

On top of that, we also tried some new bait today at Courageous Sailing Center. I bet you can't guess. This time we used eels! It sure caught many people's attention. We were hoping that we would catch a striped bass with the eels as bait. Sadly, we failed and did not catch anything with them. Then again, it was really windy so it was pretty difficult to cast and fish there.








Well that's all for now
Catch you later,
- Nhu

First fish!

Look what he caught with a piece of corn! 

Today, at Community Boating center we finally caught a fish. This time it was not by traps but on a rod. Guess what we used as bait this time? Corn! Who knew?! It was such good bait. One of our little explorers actually caught a decent size sunfish with a piece of corn. We were all surprised and excited, all at the same time. It took a lot of patience and determination but in the end it was all worth it because as a result, they finally caught our first fish at this site! It was definitely a highlight of my day.

Ducks!

The corn not only attracted the fish, but also ducks! There were about 8 of them and they were constantly begging for food. Luckily, the ducks came right when our program was coming to an end or else all the fishes would have swam away. We'll see that else we'll catch next at Community Boating, and what other strange bait we'll use.

Once again, catch you later,
Nhu

Oh my Tautogs!

What a beauty: The Tautogs we spotted right under the Courageous dock.

Well, what can I say, this week's weather has been terrible due to the rain and hot, muggy weather. That most definitely did not stop Save the Harbor from having fun. Monday, at the Courageous Sailing Center when we arrived, got our equipment ready, and started walking down to the dock we were pleasantly surprised by what we had spotted. There were two big Tautogs right below the dock, just swimming back and forth, so close to the surface that I could actually grab them right out of the water. Right there and then, thats when we all knew the fun began. We spent the whole two hours trying to catch them, even with the help from the amazing fisherman Sam, we still could not catch them. They were too smart.

If only you could have seen them with your own eyes.

Sej showing how you can tell the crabs gender.

The fun didn't quite stop there. After that we were also joined by a group of 18 students and their counselors. We never had that many people at once join our group, so it was very exciting. Also the fact that for many of them, it was the first time holding and interacting with real life sea animals such as crabs, sea stars, etc. it was pretty interesting and funny to see their reactions. We look forward to many more people that will come and join our fun like this group.



Catch you later,
Nhu

The "Fish Cookies" Really Work!

Our sea friends.

At the Courageous Sailing Center we were able to catch tons and tons of crabs. There were so many to the point where we had to start letting some go because the touch tank was getting way too crowded. Even the people who stopped by noticed that we had more in the touch tank than usual. There were about 20 green, at least 10 asian shore crabs, and 6 star fishes (one of them was about the size of a hand). Sadly, the only fish we caught so far at this site were through the lobster trap. But I'm determined and sure that we will soon.

A quick picture with our little sea friends before freeing them back into the Harbor.

Making our own bait today.

At Community Boating yesterday we decided to try something new and made our own bait. We had tried the recipe that Annie and her team last year had used as bait made out of 3 simple ingredients; flour, sugar, and water. We mixed all the ingredients together and it turned out as a dough type texture, and then we rolled them into little balls. One of the kids decided to call them "fish cookies". We placed them into the traps, and who knew?! It actually worked. After we had used the "fish cookies" as bait we caught a large amount of fishes in the traps. It was a fun activity to do, it was a little twist to our envioronmental class. It was a fishing, crabbing, and cooking class all in one! Today was another hot, yet fun and interesting day. Ending my week well. Looking forward to next week, to see what else we can catch with these "fish cookies".

Our finished results: "Fish cookies"

Catch you later,

Nhu

A Week Full of Suprises

The kid who found the old military button

This week I got an amazing opportunity to go out to Camp Harbor View for the first time. It was an amazing and interesting experience. We walked around the beach and found things hidden under sand, rocks, and large pieces of wood that were washed onto the beach from Spectacle Island. There were many old broken kitchen essentials such as; plates, bowls, and forks. One of the kids actually found an old military button, which I found to be pretty awesome and cool. All of the students there were energetic, had an abundant amount of questions, and of course they were ready to explore. Oh, and the beaming hot sun couldn't stop us from continuing!

The huge surprise

Another site that I went to for the very first time was Community Boating. When the Save the Harbor crew and I arrived we decided to pull up the eel trap and found a huge surprise! Lots of eels. Many people were shocked to find out that they were captured right out of the river that they sailed in. Many people were intrigued. I was also shocked myself, due to the fact that it was my first time seeing eels at any of the Boston Harbor sites, it was also my very first time touching an eel! Today we had a pleasant surprise, and I am most definitely looking forward to many other surprises.

Putting the largest eel that was caught back in the eel trap because it was large and smart enough to escape the touch tank.

Catch you later, 

Nhu

Reunited!

Hi everyone,

My name is Nhu Vo, I'm 18 and I will be a freshman attending Pine Manor College this fall, which I'm pretty happy, anxious, and ready for. I enjoy working with younger kids and being active, which is one of the many reasons why I enjoy Save the Harbor so much. 

I must say it feels good to be back. This will be my second summer working here with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. One of my many favorite memories from last summer was going on Codzilla. It was my first time, and will not be my last time. It was an

awesome experience! We all got soaked and most importantly had lots of fun. That had to be one of my favorite memories with Save the Harbor Save the Bay.

Piers Park: Looking at the map and learning where the Boston Harbor water
flows through.

I am thrilled, excited, and I am most definitely looking forward to meeting many new faces. Besides that, I am also looking forward to learning new things and making new discoveries within the Boston Harbor along with the little explorers.

Even though it is my second summer working with Save the Harbor, it will be my first time working at Courageous Sailing Center, which will be a whole new experience. In Summer of 2013, the sites that I worked at were; the Children’s Museum, Piers Park, and McDonough Sailing Center. We caught tons of green crabs, some spider crabs, and different types of little fishes. I wonder what we will find within Courageous…. But we will find out!

I cannot not wait to start! I know we all will be having an amazing and unforgettable summer together.

-Nhu

Farewell. Till next time!

I remember it like it was just yesterday when I came for training week. I was excited, but at the same time, clueless and nervous because I had no idea if I was going to be able to handle the kids. But I finally did it, this summer I've worked with probably over a hundred kids. Working with the kids helped me build leadership and more confidence in public speaking than I was before. Working with Save The Harbor/Save The Bay has also helped me become more patient.

Day 1 with Save The Harbor/Save The Bay: Training Week :)

It's official, summer is finally coming to an end and so are the programs at our sites. I know, its sad isn't it? But there's always next summer! Even though I just met many of my co-workers this summer, by having a chance to work with them has created a bond that made me feel close to them already. I had a great summer and I hope many of you also did. It was a fun and exciting experience. I had fun with all my Save The Harbor/Save The Bay co-workers and the kids I worked with on all the sites, and I hope to see you all again next summer.

Piers Park: Emma forcing me to take a picture with her.

Till next summer!
Take care,
Nhu

It was nice while it lasted

Wow, so many exciting things happened this week! For example, this week, for the first time, I went kayaking and I can honestly say it was awesome! But, I have to admit I was kind of scared and nervous because the tides were kind of high that day, plus it was a bit windy. While paddling the kayak me and Abby (one of the McDonough kids) noticed that the waves were pushing us out further and further which made me even more nervous than I already was. Finally, we got the kayak to turn around towards the dock and finally reached land. Reaching the dock was an indescribable feeling, kind of like that relieved feeling after getting off a scary roller coaster ride and just being happy to be back on the ground, yea that feeling. Too bad I couldn't get pictures to post and share about this great and unforgettable experience.

That's not the only exciting thing that happened this week! Also, for the first time, I witnessed an ice cream topping fight! It was crazy! It sounded kind of like a war was going on right out on the dock at McDonough. Chocolate syrup flying from left to right, hitting people in the eye, hair, everywhere! Everyone looked like they were having a blast. Most definitely I am looking forward to another great summer with these guys next summer, no doubt!

A chocolate mess! (halfway through the ice cream topping fight at McDonough)

At Piers Park this week, we discovered a ton of small jellyfish. We caught at least 10 jellyfish everyday this week. It was strange because there were no jellyfish spotted before ever since this summer started, so that was kind of interesting to see.

One of the many jelly fish spotted at Piers Park.

What a Day!

Finally got their attention.

This week Thursday was like no other. All the Save the Harbor staff came to work at 8 AM and started working to get the "2013 Beach Bash and Slash" ready for the kids. We carried out tables, set up the tents, and got the stations ready. Right when it hit 10 AM it was game on! A swam of kids came in and charged at every station they saw. We had face painting, sports and kites, swimming, and a touch tank, which is where I was at. My two goals for the day were: (1) to entertain the kids, and (2) to try to keep the lobsters alive, which was kind of difficult because it was really hot outside. We had to change the water every 45 min, and place some ice bags in the tank to keep the lobsters cool. We actually managed to keep the lobsters alive till the end (thumbs up).

Everyone going in for a swim!

I have never seen so many kids in one place at once, nor have I ever seen so many hot dogs in my life! This event was awesome and it looked like everyone had a great time. Music, sports, free hot dogs, drinks, fruits, and other activities - come on, how could you not have a blast?! All I could say at the end of the event was "What a day!"

We caught a fish!

Hey everyone,

Guess what?! This week at Piers Park the kids finally caught fish! Not one, but two! Two fish in two days in a row! I have to admit that I was really surprised because we usually never catch a fish with the hooks we usually use. The hooks we use are actually a bit too big compared to the fish that that we see. But some how the kids managed to catch a fish! Its crazy because both the hook and the bate looked big to fit in the fish's mouth. I know it might not be anything surprising for other sites because they probably catch at least one fish everyday but here at Piers Park this was the first time. So its official, I finally witnessed a fish being caught here!

Piers Park: First catch of the week!

Just having fun..

Besides the fish, what made this week even more unforgettable were the kids I met. Since I've been at Piers Park I have met many kids, but I have not met a group of kids with as much energy as this one. Even on a wet, gloomy, rainy day they could brighten the day up with their personalities. I don't think I have laughed at Piers Park as much as I did this week. Of course, I did form a close a bond with some of the kids. It actually makes me kind of sad to know that I only have one week left with my little Harbor Explorers. But, there's always next year. I can't wait!

John's pose for "Say cheese!"

Doing Some Community Service

This week, Wednesday was weird because instead of going straight to Piers Park, I had to go to George's Island to pick up trash with Blue Cross Blue Shield. It was a day where I felt like I was really taking an extra step towards helping the environment become healthier and cleaner. It was weird seeing trash on this Island because on Spectacle Island there was not a single piece of trash to be seen. When we arrived at George's Island, we had a mini meeting to discuss the goals of the day, then we were given some trash bags and rubber gloves. After that we got straight to work. I picked up many cigarette butts, plastic, and surprisingly, lots of Styrofoam. There was more trash on this Island than I had expected.  

Looking for trash.

After gathering all the trash we found, we left it in one pile and went to have lunch. Our boss, Bruce, was generous enough to pay for our lunch. After we had our delicious lunch we took a little trip to the tunnels. I was really excited because I haven't been there since training week, it was good to be back.  

A Day with Just the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Crew

Mini party on the dock at Spectacle Island

Week 5:

Nothing's better than waking up on a Monday work day knowing that you will be on an island, relaxing and just having fun. That's how we at the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay crew spent our Monday this week. We played a competitive game of kickball! It wasn't too hot when we arrived so it was perfect weather to play. After that we went on the dock and, for the first time, I got to see Bruce and Patty's boat. They grilled up some hot dogs, passed out fresh and sweet grapes, some chips, and also drinks. We were having a mini party on the dock. The seagulls looked jealous while landing to watch us eat.

Best Monday ever! I definitely had fun and it looked like everyone else did too. This was a very nice treat and break for us. Hard work really does pay off. I left Spectacle Island feeling great, and that's weird because I'm never this happy on a Monday.

Wow, I can't believe that it has already been five weeks since I started working with Save the Harbor. Time really does fly by fast!

A good game of kickball