Watch this space as we Spotlight marine education providers around Australia over the coming months.
Ocean Life Education is an extension education provider to schools in south east Queenslannd operating from the Sunshine Coast.
Here is a short clip about who they are and what they do with schools.
To hear more from the enthusiastic team at Ocean Life Education, keep reading. Richard Coward Marine Ecologist/ Teacher Ocean Life Education has provided perspectives on just what they are trying to achieve.
"Live marine animal incursions into schools, child care centres and vacation care are an important step in breeding environmentally aware adults of tomorrow. If we truly want to save our planet from human driven extinction then the first step is to install understanding and stewardship into our youth today. This is the driving passion behind Ocean Life Educations (www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au) presentations, and because of its powerful interactive nature children are loving it, absorbing and understanding the immediate plight of our delicate marine environment."
"The initial journey to achieve these affective incursions weren’t without mishap! Like all great adventures early teething problems needed to be overcome. One such example occurred while transporting Sea Urchins, the spiky member of the Echinoderm Phylum. With great shock and horror while unpacking the animals for display it was noticed that the bag containing the Urchins had lost most of its water into the carry box, and the bag had sagged over the urchins! Luckily the venue for this days presentation was close in proximity to home base on the Sunshine Coast, and due to the nature of the box and the volume of water the Sea Urchins were still in good health, though the health of the presenter was a little shaken."
"Suffice to say this was a good learning experience and hence forth stronger bags times two are now used for Sea Urchin transport, thus leaving presenters in a much better state to spread the important message of protecting the marine environment! It’s an old cliché but a true one...our kids are our future...and the protectors of it!"
IF THEY UNDERSTAND IT THEY WILL APPRECIATE IT
IF THEY APPRECIATE IT THEY WILL CARE FOR IT!
Ocean Life Education will be on display at Sunshine Coast University for World Environment Day Celebrations Sunday 6th June 2010.
To visit the Ocean Life Education website click here
UnderWater World on the Sunshine Coast offers a similar outreach program so it's great to know that so many dedicated marine educators are finding fun ways to get the message out to our future ocean protectors.
ReplyDelete