Ostego Bay Summer Camps offer hands-on experiences
The Ostego Bay Foundation -in its seventh year of offering summer camps to children from 6-14 years old- is in full swing with its hands-on style of teaching.
The campers, who are instructed by volunteers from either area colleges and or schools, have enjoyed taking trolley rides to places such as Bowditch Pointe Park, Matanzas Preserve and Lover’s Key. There, the students learn about marine life, science and biology.
“We started three weeks ago and offer five camps over the summer,” said Tim Loughren, a teacher from Island Coast High School in Cape Coral who is in his third of volunteering. “We’ll go every week now until the end of the month.”
Loughren, who teaches at Island Coast in the Natural Marine Science Program, says that hands-on activities are best for children during these warmer months. The camps are broken down into three different age groups.
“Every day is a field trip,” said Loughren. “Our classes take the trolley to all our destinations. The hands-on approach works real well. We get a lot of repeat campers every year. We have give-or-take 12 kids at each session.”
Loughren took his age 9-11 class to Fish Tale Marina Thursday, for a pontoon boat ride into the Back Bay. The trip was courtesy of Owner Al Durrett, who is making quite a habit of helping area children learn about the marina’s ‘backyard.’
The day before, Loughren’s group visited Matanzas Preserve for an educational hike about crab viewing and hosted a guest speaker from Sanibel’s Shell Museum.
“That two-hour shell presentation kept the students interest,” he said. “She did a great job of keeping the attention of these 9-12 year olds. Today, we’ll be on a pontoon boat ride and we’ll throw the net into the sea grass to see what we can catch. We’ll talk about sea grass and discuss why it’s there and why we shouldn’t bother it. Hopefully, we’ll see some dolphins and manatees.”
Ostego Bay camps focus on endangered, native and non-native species. They are designed for outdoor activities.
“If you put the kids in a room and tell them to draw on paper, it only works for an hour or two,” Loughren joked. Our older kids (age 12-14) will go deep sea fishing all day. These classes deal with a lot of marine biology. We have a third-year student from FAU who is studying marine biology who is volunteering and has been a big help.”
Ostego Bay seeks volunteers
The Ostego Bay Foundation Marine Science Center is looking for participants who want to make a difference in the community by donating just a few hours a week to the enhancement and the preservation of the marine life, including the local coastal areas.
Those interested may like hiking and want to keep the local nature trail attractive and fit by being a guide in the area.
At the Marine Science Center, one can help maintain aquariums, feed fish and take care of sea life. Docents also are needed to conduct daily tours in the museum (training is provided) as well as opportunities for fund raising, writing grants, preparation of newsletters, brochures, flyers and press releases. Or, if you prefer office work, there is a need for clerical assistance.
Call 765-8101 for futher information.
Please note: The center is presently closed due to annual Marine Science Summer Camps for children and expects to be re-opened Sept. 2.