The Wrack

Education Director Suzanne Kahn reflects on her Linblad Expeditions-National Geographic Society expedition experience in the Western Pacific as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship Alumna.

I facilitated my final Head Start preschool story hour of the season this morning with a group of real sweethearts from Old Orchard Beach. The towns of Sanford, North Berwick, Lyman, Kittery, Biddeford, and Waterboro also participated in the program this fall. Whales Are Amazing...Just Like You! by local author Tony Viehmann was the featured storybook this time around. Families enjoyed learning about these gentle giants, creating whale crowns, and taking a walk to the ocean to see whale habitat. The children were delighted to receive their free books and blue whale puppets at the end of each program! Below are photos taken during one of the programs last month.

Reading the story...

Today's preschool story hour featured local author/illustrator Tony Viehmann's Whales Are Amazing...Just Like You! After a reading of this playful story in the library, our group of little marine scientists moved to the barn and learned that blue whales can grow up to 100 feet long. We measured this distance together and discovered that blue whales are a few feet longer than the barn! Below are photos of some of the participating preschoolers and their caregivers, creating their very own whale sock puppets to take home.

Music, fun, education, & stewardship converged during April school vacation week at the Reserve! Roughly 150 people celebrated Earth Day with us on Tuesday, families learned lots from whale enthusiast Tony Viehmann on Wednesday, and an excited group of day campers explored vernal pools on Thursday.

Lisa Judd came with her kids on Earth Day and had this to say:

The Earth Day function was fantastic! The kids had a great time with all the activities and walked through every tide pool on the beach. They ended the day soaked and smiling! Perfect!

Lots more programming for children, families, and adults is on the horizon for the spring and summer!

Photos (below):

1. Matt Loosigan of Earth Jams sings to the crowd
2. Parachute fun on the lawn
3. Giving the Earth a hug
4. Walking to Laudholm Beach for the beach clean-up
5. Tony Viehmann with narwhal whale tusk tooth
6. Learning whale anatomy with a clam shell toss
7. Searching for stream critters
8. Dressing up like a water critter
9. Making friends with a Spring Azure butterfly

Children and adults alike learned lots about whales this morning with educator Tony Viehmann during the "Making Friends with Whales & Dolphins" school vacation week offering. On hand were tons of artifacts, too, including whale oil, vertebrae, an ear bone, baleen, teeth, skulls, and more! We listened to whale songs, played whale/squid hide and seek, and explored the lengths of marine mammals outdoors. Below ar…