Natural Learning Opportunities on a Beach Vacation

Last week our family took a marvelous beach vacation. This vacation was glorious, messy, relaxing, intense, and filled with amazing natural learning opportunities! The learning never stopped! I guess that’s the kind of vacation you can expect with two passionately curious youngsters who wake up with a million and one questions before you’ve even had the opportunity for coffee. I may still be recovering…

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Our vacation was amazing for several reasons…

#1 This was our first family vacation since our now 9 year old was 3…that’s six years folk! Needless to say, we were long over due.

#2 This was going to be our daughters first visit to the beach! This trip was exciting for all of us, but imagine the excitement of our 4 year old and ALL of the questions she had! She carried around her ocean encyclopedia for weeks prior to the trip wanting to know EVERYTHING about the ocean. We read aloud from a load of other ocean themed books leading up to our trip. Check out my post 16 Ocean and Sea Creature Books to see our favorites.

#3 It was a nine and half hour drive from our home in East Tennessee to the white sandy beaches of Okaloosa Island, Florida. NINE and a HALF HOURS…in the car…with children! To combat the inevitable travel craziness, we made the trip at night. The kids, thankfully, slept through most of it. In my post, Travelling with Kids, I give you more tips on traveling with…well.. kids! Audio books and coffee are a must!

Natural Learning Opportunities on a Beach Vacation

We were surrounded by natural learning opportunities while on vacation. Everywhere we looked there was something new and interesting to learn! So what are these natural learning opportunities that I have been alluding to? Here’s a hint…local aquariums, fishermen and boat captains are a bountiful source of knowledge.

#1 Marine Life: Dolphins, Sharks, Rays, Jelly Fish, Crabs, and Star Fish just to name a few!

We saw more dolphins from the beach, on a shelling boat, and from the pier than we did on a paid dolphin tour! Every time we saw those rounded fins in the water it was just as exciting as the first time. On the pier the dolphins would come right up to the fishermen fishing lines. On our snorkeling/shelling boat adventure, the captain pointed out the school of fish jumping from the water. Then came the dolphins! We learned that the area had a healthy dolphin population of 160!

Did you know that sharks, skates, and rays are all related? We got an up close look at nurse sharks and lemon sharks at the Gulfarium as well as watching a live feeding. Our son was in complete bliss! He adores sharks!

Our daughter was very interested in rays prior to our trip, so that was one animal she really wanted to see. She got her wish at both the Gulfarium and on our snorkeling adventure. She squealed with delight when she saw them “fly” through the water. Then she proceeded to ask ALL the questions about them. Luckily the staff at the Gulfarium and the boat captain were very knowledgeable.

Every morning we walked the beach collecting interesting marine debris. This led to the discovery of shells, a skate egg case or “mermaid purse,” and jelly fish. Luckily we had this poster of Shells of the Gulf of Mexico to help us reference our finds.

#2 Marine Food Chain

Seeing so many dolphins, sharks, rays, and jelly fish led to the conversation about what those creatures ate. Thus a discussion on the marine food chain began. From the largest fish in the ocean, the whale shark, eating plankton to the top predators and their favorite meals. The children wanted to know what EVERY marine creature ate. Also, sharks rarely attack humans. You are more likely to be killed by a vending machine than a shark…weird but true!

Natural Learning Opportunities on a Beach Vacation

#3 Sea Birds

There were birds everywhere we turned, but the children observed that these were not the same birds that we have in East Tennessee… These were pelicans, herons, gulls, egrets, sanderlings, terns, and kingfishers! The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds is super helpful in identifying the birds of the eastern United States. The kids were fascinated!

#4 Coastal Trees

Our son noticed the change in trees as dawn crept over the horizon and we made our way to Okaloosa island on that first day. He became excited when he realized they were palms. This led to the discussion of the different coastal trees…thank you GOOGLE! Also, you can grow citrus trees outside in Florida, but not in East Tennessee…the children were very disappointed.

#5 Habitats

Habitats along the coast are much different than inland. There are dunes, marshes, and estuaries…not to mention the bays and ocean. All of these provide different habitats for different animals.

Natural Learning Opportunities on a Beach Vacation

#6 Erosion

Building sand castles is a fun and iconic way to spend your days at the beach. I’m a pretty terrific moat builder, myself… But it never failed that as the children finished some colossus sand pile that the waves would come along and wash it away. This led to the discussion of erosion.

Later, on the trip, a boat captain mentioned that some of the buildings along the coast were sinking due to erosion. The kids knew exactly what he was talking about and proceeded with a discussion on why it isn’t wise to build on the sand.

#7 Weather

Weather was something the children watched daily. Not on the television…no, they watched the clouds, wind, and the flags on the beach. Each day there was the potential for a different flag. A green flag meant “low hazard” and that the beach had favorable conditions for swimming. A yellow flag meant “medium hazard” and to be a little extra cautious. A red flag meant “high hazard.” The children were excited and bummed at the same time when they saw this red flag because it meant we were not going to the beach, but we were going to the Gulfarium! A purple flag meant “dangerous marine life,” and thankfully we did not get to see one of these!

The clouds and wind were a great indicator of conditions as well. On the coast it can change quickly and this led to the discussion of cloud formation, storm development, and hurricanes.

As you can see, natural learning opportunities are all around us. Education is always happening, because we will always want to know more about the things that interest us…even on vacation!