Academy students in grades 5 through 8 joined their science teachers, Dr. Z, Mrs. Roberts, and Ms. Marye, for a memorable day of outdoor learning and exploration at Meigs Point in Hammonasset Beach State Park on Friday, September 25.
The adventure began with a hike along the Moraine Trail, where students learned about the geology of Long Island Sound and the natural history of the area. From there, they conducted a hands-on survey of invasive Asian shore crabs in the rocky intertidal section of the beach, catching 374 crabs in just 15 minutes.
“I loved our crab survey! It was so fun to turn over rocks and see the little crabs crawling everywhere. I also liked when we got to swim in the water,” said Brycen.
Students also collected shells for a class project, searching for at least eight different species and two shells showing interactions such as worm burrows or barnacles.
“I thought that collecting the shells was really fun!” said Audrey.
The day included free exploration at the beach, including swimming, sandcastle-building, and making cyanotype sun prints. A friendly passerby even gifted the students a kite to fly along the shore.
“I liked making the extremely real sand castle with a moat and wall,” added Ansh.
The trip concluded with a visit to the Meigs Point Nature Center, where students explored displays of native animals and reflected on their day.
“The beach trip was an engaging way to interact with the real world and apply the learning concepts we learned in class,” said Sheldon. “Not only did it provide further application for the topic of marine science, but it was also an extremely interactive and entertaining way to do fun activities such as catching the invasive species of Hemigrapsus sanguineus, and finding shells for a hands-on learning assignment.”
Support hands-on learning at Talcott! Make a gift to Talcott Mountain Science Center & Academy to help students experience programs and events like BioBlitz and field trips to Hammonasset Beach.
