GKarshens Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 So I was listening to the first Reef Addicts podcast yesterday and got an idea from what they were talking about. I was thinking we could setup some kind of educational display that we could take to our kid's classes to teach them a little about marine animals. Also with the idea of letting them know we need to protect theses animals and their environment. It doesn't need to be anything fancy. I was thinking a low and long rubbermaid with some sand and a couple rocks. We could put in it Chocolate Chip Starfish, Hermits, snails, maybe a bristle star. Things they could touch without hurting them. It would be really easy to setup but the issue would come in storing it. Anyway, it's an idea I wanted to present and see where all of you wanted to go with it, or if I am flying solo here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 what an awesome idea!! i can help with the purchasing and discounts on any containers or anything you need (from lowes on 620/183) i think a clear plastic tub would be cool so you could maybe see stuff easier when light shines thru the sides. if i was introduced to stuff like this when i was younger, i would of definitely done things differently growing up. i would of especially looked into being a marine biologists a lot sooner and taken interest in marine life ALOT quicker for sure!! let me know if there is anyhing i can do to help!! this is exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 (edited) To me it sounds like a good idea. I actuly had a thought about 3 years a go that seemed really far fetch at the time. But I read an articual from New York about a guy that is a biologiest and has love saltwater fish sence he was a kid. My thought was to make an Aquarium here in Austin. Because if you look at a lot of big towns they all have an aquarium and zoo and we have a zoo but not to good and a aquarium we do not have at all. But it would be really cool to have one here in Austin. But it also would be good for letting to yonger generation of kids that don't know much about the reefs and fish that live their. Edited April 23, 2010 by christian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayneb Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Stretching young kids minds is always a good idea. However how about slanting it more toward the Gulf and its critters. Would be more meaningful for the younsters. wayneb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Ya, well you could alway do bouth the gulf and ther reef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Cool, I have some things that may be usefull... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdavis735 Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 great idea gabe.i work nights so i have lots of free time during the day.i could certainly give a hand doing demos or whatever you'd need help with.i have even considered talking to the school my daughter goes to about setting up a reef tank there.they have a 55 gallon freshwater in the library that nobody seems to do much with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KeeperOfTheZoo Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Ah the joys of homeschooling... We are studying oceanography for science this year. Ties in well with the new 125g micro ocean in the living room. The trip to the FL coast was nice for hands on science as well. On the 28th some of the families from one of our groups are coming out to visit the farm in general. Should be 30+ people. I've seen talk of setting up 'touch tanks', I think that would have a long lasting impact on the kids. On our recent trip my kids fed the rays at the Tampa zoo and are STILL talking about it. In my experience with kids in general and teaching/ educating about animals the more hands on you can make the experience the more impact it'll have. There is a very nice aquarium in Corpus and the Waco Cameron park zoo has a couple neat SW tanks now. Austin has never really gotten into the whole zoo thing. Neat idea Gabriel. It amazes me how so many kids have so little exposure to the diversity of life on our planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted April 27, 2010 Share Posted April 27, 2010 this is awesome stuff!! i cant wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta Posted April 27, 2010 Share Posted April 27, 2010 I'd add non stinging urchins and horseshoe crabs to the list. Maybe throw in a little macroalgae or shore clams of some sort. I remember there was an online source for coldwater biotope critters somewhere.... I think they were located somewhere on the northern east coast.... which had kits like this which they would send out, have in class for a day or two, and send back to be recouped and released in the wild for the critters used. Don't remember what the site was, but the whole procedure and sample lessons were laid out. Since there weren't really warm water organisms, they cooled the shipping containers down for transit to slow respiration and make them last a bit better. If the research was done and someone went in with a chiller and some stuff, you could put together a subtropical biotope for the gulf and could house the critters used indefinitely. There's a lot of leg work still involved in transporting them around and keeping everything in good help, but storage could be manageable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted April 27, 2010 Author Share Posted April 27, 2010 I am glad there is such excitement and willingness to help. Someone has already offered to make some viewing tanks out of acrylic next month. So hopefully over the summer we can get this all put together for the next school year. Once we have the tanks then I will start organizing who can bring/donate what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 So I had several offers to help with this. I am ready to start setting it up soon. My daughters class is having ocean week in August and I definitely would like to have it up by then. So if the offers still stand please let me know. Especially the one about building the tanks. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted August 24, 2010 Author Share Posted August 24, 2010 OK so Timfish made an awesome carrying tank to display the critters and even mounted some molts in acrylic too! I talked to Bruce at Aquatek and he is willing to cooperate with us too. So I am going to do a presentation today at my daughters' school. I'll post how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innate1 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Cool! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted August 25, 2010 Author Share Posted August 25, 2010 It went really well. Bruce was super cool and let me borrow a couple hermits, chocolate chip starfish, a banded serpent star, a pencil urchin, a mexican turbo, and a sponge crab. The kids loved it! Some of them were a little freaked out, but most of them got up the courage to touch the chocolate chip starfish. Big ups to Timfish for the tank and the mounted molts. Those went over big too. If anyone else wants to do one for their kids class let me know. Thanks Bruce!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medi Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 cool....I'm glad to hear it went well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatekbk Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 No problem Gabe, glad to hear that it went well, we always want to help with the educational process. I am glad that someone is willing to donate their time and energy to such a worthwhile idea. Anytime you need anything let me know and we'll help out as much as possible. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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