Two years ago, Jerry Schubel, president and CEO of the听听in Long Beach, California, told me, 鈥淚f you want your kids to care about the ocean, get them to care about the things that live in the ocean.鈥澨鼿e invited my four children听(ages twelve, nine, four, and one at the time) to the aquarium for a day of petting sharks, feeding sea otters and manta rays, enjoying the company of听a precocious two-year-old Magellanic penguin, and shadowing听staff as they identified and logged听aquatic life sightings aboard听.听
On that cruise, we fell in love with a family of five fin whales swimming in the ocean. We could hear each whale breathe, and some of us got sprayed in the face by water from听their blowholes. Today听we still think about their well-being听and what we can do to prevent threats to听the second-largest species of whales.听
Now, with shelter-in-place orders in effect, I wondered how aquariums and ocean-conservation programs would听continue sharing these kinds of experiences remotely. Fortunately, the Aquarium of the Pacific and a number of other organizations throughout the country are offering families a variety of engaging activities online.听
Aquariums
The Aquarium of the Pacific鈥檚听 includes听programs with its听educators, live听,听 videos, a , and a听. 鈥淭he interaction between us and the audience is key,鈥 says听David Bader, its director of education. 鈥淲e are trying to use face-to-face teaching theories in a distance-learning platform. We are building connections and community among our viewers. We want people of all ages who are at home to engage with our exhibits and animals and learn about the ocean.鈥
The aquarium鈥檚 free听 app challenges both adults and kids to sustainably consume food, water, and energy. around the aquarium is an especially popular post.
is the public-outreach center for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego, one of the largest research programs for ocean and earth science. Tune in to its听 events and watch behind-the-scenes videos of things like听hatching听听or a听 tank that is pumped with sea water,听which facilitates the growth of听algae.听
Each week听the听 premieres a new video in its听 YouTube series. Check out its听new听, which offers听field guides and lesson plans for kindergarten听through 12th grade. Its听most popular posts feature puppies from the Atlanta Humane Society while it鈥檚 closed to the public.
In Hawaii,听听has set up听new听, like how to draw marine animals with Hawaiian nature artist Patrick Ching and webcams of the Hawaiian monk seal named Hoailona, the south shore of Waikiki, and the aquarium鈥檚听galleries.
鈥淓ngaging and inspiring the public about the wonders of our blue planet is central to our mission,鈥 says听Vikki N. Spruill, president and听CEO of the . To continue those efforts during the pandemic, her aquarium听is hosting听a听new series of听, daily live educational presentations听on听 at 11 A.M. EST, interviews with aquarists, and at-home projects. The听most popular video since its closure has been听the听.
Some unique opportunities have been made possible because aquariums are closed. From March 26 to April 14, the U.S. Fish and听Wildlife Service granted听听in California a special exception to livestream what guests would normally not be allowed to see: resident听. Visit its听 page to find free self-paced online courses, such as听 for pre-K听to second grade听and听 for grades three through six. 鈥淥ur education team helps students to think like a scientist while they learn about ocean animals and habitats听and what they can contribute to conservation,鈥 says听Rita Bell, its vice president of education.听
Nonprofits and Government Agencies
The听, located听in Laguna Beach, California,听offers long-distance听听that are听normally only available to听schools but are听now open to everyone. Using the听, participants can听take photos听of tagged seals听or sea lions in the wild听so the center can see where the animals they once took care of are and how they鈥檙e faring.听
manages 14 national marine sanctuaries as well as听the听Papahanaumokuakea and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments, located in the North and South Pacific Oceans, respectively. Start with听 for听access to its听interactive live听 series, which includes videos like 鈥,鈥 early releases of its听, games, a curriculum, and expeditions.
The听, originally scheduled to run in March in San Francisco, has released its听films for free online. Movies听like ,听about a 16-year-old learning to scuba-dive,听were added for听middle school and high school students who were set听to attend the festival. 鈥淪ome of these kids have never been to the ocean. Our goal is to bring the ocean to our audiences, since they can鈥檛 come to us,鈥 says听executive director Ann Blanco. 鈥淥ur desire is to keep the conversation going, so we can learn about the beauty of our ocean, the amazing animals that live in the ocean, and how we recreate with the ocean for our pleasure. The ocean brings us calm and reduces our stress, so we鈥檙e trying to help during this critical time with the power of film.鈥
Although virtual experiences provide similar benefits to reality, we had such a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experience with the whales that I wasn鈥檛 sure how听virtual programs could compare. But听after a week of introducing these resources to my family, I noticed that my older kids would sometimes skip Fortnite meetups just to attend underwater livestreams. After working my way through the Aquarium of the Pacific鈥檚 lecture series听, I now serve my family only seafood from sustainable and responsible wild and farmed sources, and I听make smoothies with seaweed. And while watching the Monterey Bay Aquarium鈥檚 听and listening to its social-media team answer听questions about stranded pups one day, my six-year-old giggled听at the sight of听Ivy, a听resident sea otter,听pouncing on the back of a pup, wrapping听her arms around the pup鈥檚 waist, and wrangling听her down to a sleeping position.听鈥淢om, that鈥檚 what you do with us,鈥 my daughter听said.听My three-year-old asked听me to scratch her belly the way Ivy was听calming down her pup. Then she pointed听at the pup and said, 鈥淪he looks just like me.鈥澨