The Coast Counts Camp finished its session with hands-on exploration.
By
Katie Johns
| 2:41 p.m. July 21, 2016
Longboat Key
Neighbors
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With nets in one hand and buckets in the other, the campers participating in “The Coast Counts” camp headed into the water to look for local marine wildlife.
The camp, held at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, is for 2 - to 5-year-olds who are accompanied by a guardian. The camp focuses on learning about the coast through stories, games, science, arts and crafts and hands-on exploration. The camp runs Tuesday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. There are two more sessions left for the summer. The first will take place from July 25 to July 29 and the last will take place Aug. 1 through Aug. 5.
On the final day of the session the campers headed out into the shallow waters of the bay to look for local marine wildlife including sea stars, crabs, shrimp and as Public Programs Director Miranda Wrobel said some “ biodiversity of cuteness.”
Public Programs Coordinator Miranda Wrobel hands out buckets to campers so they can carry the tiny creatures they find while skimming the bay.
Aiden Paransky, 3, gets ready to dip his net in the water.
Campers and their guardians use nets to skim the bottom of the bay to catch shrimp, crabs and other small animals.
Hayes Ferrell, 2, plays in the water during “The Coast Counts” Camp at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.
Danielle Duke with son Harry, 5
Amber Cornish and Aydan McCormick, 2, pull their net out of the water to see what they caught.
Ellie, 2, and Lisa Otte, check their net for local marine wildlife.
Leandra DiMarco, 3, touches a starfish found by a Mote intern
Lola Earle, 5, with her mom, Jen
Harry Duke, 5, looks at the grand conch shell Mirando Wrobel, the Public Programs Coordinator at Mote, is holding.
Patricia and Leandra DiMarco, 3, put their marine wildlife into buckets.
Aydan McCormick dumps his pail of water into one of the wildlife buckets.
Miranda Wrobel, Public Programs Coordinator at Mote, holds a starfish for Ellie Otte, 2.
Leo Martin 5, takes a turn gently touching a sea star.
Campers put the marine wildlife they caught in these assorted buckets before releasing them back in the water.
Makaela Leader, 4, with her mom, Rebecca
Makaela Leader, 4, and Harry Duke, 5, check out the marine wildlife campers found in the water
Harry Duke, 5, takes a turn feeling the grand conch shell found during “The Coast Counts” camp.
