With the warmer weather upon us and the holidays drawing near, many people are starting to head to the beach. This provides a great opportunity to explore the diversity of coastal and marine life that washes ashore - discovering what things are and where they come from. In the Beach Discovery Tour students learn about the markings on cuttlefish bones; discover the difference between seaweed and seagrass; and search through the myriad of shells!
Use our brand new Beachcombers Field Guide, from the Perth Beachcombers Education Kit to help you identify the things you find on your beach walk, and discover some interesting facts along the way.
After identifying what we have found, we will discuss classification - what it is, and why we use it. We will then simply classify the items we have found, discovering what things are related to what - you may be a little surprised with the result.
We will also look at the impact that humans have on the beach - not only the rubbish that we leave behind, but also how we change the coastal environment. We will investigate the types of marine debris found on the beach, where it comes from and how it affects the local marine life.
The Beach Discovery Tour will reinforce to students the importance of leaving only footprints when visiting the beach, and encourage them to remember their experience through memories, not souvenirs.
This school activity is weather dependent, and in the event of severe weather conditions, Bringing the Beach to You will be conducted inside the Discovery Centre in place of the Beach Discovery Tour.
To make a booking for your school or to find out about our other education activities, contact the MarineDiscoveryWest team at the NMDC on 9203 0112.
