Today's lesson, boys and girls, is on tidal pools.
For two years in a row, I taught kids about marine life during science class. Each year the text book had the little pictorial chart showing where different animals stood (or swam) on the tidal pool life chain. For the first time, I got to see in person, the things I was teaching.
Computer Geek researched ahead to find what day and time would afford best tidal pool viewing. We arrived when the tide was at 2 feet negative. Pssht--like I knew what that meant. It was a good thing my friend surprised me with a pair of
Nothinz because I walked around right in the water! And my feet got wet! And I didn't care! (Confession time: I abhor the feeling of wet feet, unless I am swimming or swishing my feet in an ocean. Or I probably wouldn't care if my feet were wet if I was walking on a dock in Monaco.Wet socks on my feet make me want to poke a needle in my eye.)
So here are some pictures that, even though I am an amateur and my camera has a permanent smudge on the inside of the lens, are waaay better than the cheesy drawings in the textbook.
A moon snail, being held by some government lady who assured us that if we removed even a grain of sand from the beach that the entire world ecosystem would fail and all continents would plummet into the ocean. Oh, and that small child in the photo is not my grandson Chunk, though he looks exactly like him, even down to the facial injuries. I wanted to go up to his mom and say,"Would you please ask your son to say 'Grandma' for me? Just this once?'"
This is the amazingly cool sand home that the moon snail creates for itself. And doesn't that shadow almost look like the photographer forgot to remove herself from the frame before snapping the shot?
This area is underwater when the tide comes in. Computer Geek informs me it is on a six hour schedule.
Weston wants one of these in the back yard.
I guess other people did their research too and said, "Let's go! The tide's at a negative 2!"
Someone was a little crabby.
But someone was an even littler crabby!
CG says this is a sea anemone. Since it looks nothing like the cartoon in the 5th grade textbook I will assume he knows what he is talking about. After all, he grew up with water all around him, while I grew up with corn.
I can't decide which I like better---the beauty of the emerald green seaweed, the little yellow crab looking for shelter, or the photographer who tried to get into the picture again.
The highlight of the visit--there were purple starfish everywhere. Oh look. There's that photographer again. Grrr.
Better go---the tide's coming back in. I guess that makes it positive now instead of negative.
I told you I'm a thinker.
