Saltwater and Science

April 12, 2016

 ICO students and volunteer at M.a.S.T. Center

We had planned to go to Mt. Rainier for a snowshoe hike, but due to a week of heavy snow we changed plans and headed to Saltwater State Park and the MaST Center. Saltwater is located in Des Moines, halfway between Seattle and Tacoma and it offers 1,445 feet of shoreline on Puget Sound. We started our morning by doing a short walk down to the beach to let the students play. There were some students interested in my DSLR camera so I decided to let the kids be the photographers for this trip.

ICO student taking photos

ICO students at Saltwater State Park

shells at Saltwater State Park

After a quick scavenger hunt on the beach we headed out on a hike around the park that ventures into the woods. It  was a really pretty hike through lush forest that ended at the picnic area on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound. This was the perfect place to enjoy some veggie burgers and fresh vegetables with hummus while playing frisbee. Several students helped cut vegetables and prepare the lunch. While the food was cooking, we served students hot tomato soup that had been heated in the morning and brought along in thermoses.

ICO student hiking at Saltwater State Park

ICO students hiking at Saltwater State Park

students hiking at Saltwater State Park

After lunch we packed into the vans for a 10-minute drive to the Marine Science and Technology Center where Saturdays are ‘Discovery Days’ with free admission. The M.a.S.T Center is awesome and serves as a great educational experience for the students. There are several interesting marine informational displays and artifacts in the main building while out on the peer is an aquarium with several interesting species of sea anemones and urchins in touch tanks. In addition, they have a live video feed from scuba divers shown on a TV. We got to see an octopus grabbing a diver's flashlight and holding on to the divers arms. There was a lot of “Did you see that?” And “whoaaa’s” while we were watching the divers.

Whale skeleton at MAST Center

ICO Student at MaST Center

Marine life at MaST Center in Seattle

Anytime kids can get outside, be active and touch slimy sea creatures, it’s a good day. That’s what Seattle ICO is about: introducing kids to every aspect of nature and showing how education and the outdoors can be one.

 

Til next time,

 

Jonathan Burnham

PS: Here are all the photos from our outing for your viewing pleasure.