The past year has been difficult. The global pandemic has forced families to cancel vacation plans. Trips to aquariums and museums are also on hold, but this doesn’t mean that kids and adults can’t participate in fun, educational programs.
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab has gotten creative in its efforts, ensuring kids stuck at home during the pandemic still have opportunities to learn more about ocean life. Virtual learning programs are one way The Sea Lab is reaching kids that can’t visit in person.
Best of all, The Sea Lab is only minutes away from our Dauphin Island gulf front vacation rentals. You can learn about the ocean while enjoying spectacular views!
Online Learning at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
The Sea Lab virtual learning programs are designed to excite kids and adults about the ocean and coastal environment. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab even has a YouTube Channel where you can watch educational videos and learn more about the sea creatures living in the water you love swimming in.
Facebook Live Events
The popular social media platform is designed to bring people together, and The Sea Lab is taking advantage of Facebook’s features with their live events. For instance, Ask the Aquarist gives you a chance to find out more about sea creatures and the environment along the coastline.
Some of the topics covered in the live events include stingrays and the local Diamondback Terrapin Turtles. You can also find out how wildlife adapts to living in Mobile Bay. Interested in alligators? There’s a live event where you can learn more about these fascinating reptiles!
Learn about submerged aquatic vegetation in Ask the Scientist. Invasive species and the unique shoreline ecosystems are covered in Ask the Educator. There’s even a Facebook Live Event that takes viewers on a research dive in the Gulf of Mexico.
Discovery Hall Programs Educator Videos
Want to know more about how underwater robots explore the sea floor? The Sea Lab has a virtual learning video that explains how the machine collects samples.
You’ll also find videos on the salt marshes. It’s amazing to learn what lives and grows in this fragile environment! Explore the sand and discover unique shells in other videos. There’s even one for treasure hunters. You can find all kinds of objects hidden in the sand, including shark teeth.
Activities to Do at Home
Even if you can’t make it to the beach or the aquarium, there are still fun activities you can do at home.
Start a nature journal! You can document what you learn online or what you see out the window. Another fun activity The Sea Lab will walk you through is making foam squid puppets. You can have a little bit of the ocean at home with you when you can’t make it there. You’ll find these and other educational and fun activities through the Dauphin Island Sea Lab virtual learning program.
Virtual Boardwalk Tour
Take a virtual tour of the boardwalk with a knowledgeable instructor. You’ll almost feel like you’re walking along the sand asking questions. Along with a walk to look for beach finds, you can also talk about dolphins and manatees.
Coral reefs and farmed oysters are other interesting topics covered, along with why you should thank phytoplankton. Chase redfish and discover miniature monsters without leaving your Dauphin Island house.
Zoom Seminar
Whether it’s a group of students or your family that wants to learn more about the environment, the Sea Lab zoom seminars are a great education tool.
Currently, there are two university program seminars. One explores the underwater forest that existed in Alabama during the last ice age. The second program details our wastewater footprint and the effect it is having on the environment.
Kids Summer Programs
Along with online learning, Dauphin Island Sea Lab offers several summer programs for kids. You do want to check times and dates since they can change due to the pandemic. If a program is canceled, The Sea Lab provides full refunds.
Discovery Hall Programs are geared for kids of all ages. You can participate in a single-day program or register for a residential camp. There are also academic courses.
All of the programs are run by qualified instructors, and registration begins the first week of February 2021. Day camps are offered to all kids ages 5 – 12, while the residential programs are for students in the 5th through 12th grades. High schoolers can also participate in the Marine Science class.
Course Credit for Highschool, Undergraduate, and Graduate
Did you know you can get course credit for participating in some of the programs offered at the Sea Lab? You can learn more about a subject you’re interested in and get a little closer to graduating!
The Marine Science course is approved by the Alabama State Department of Education. It counts as one science elective credit for high schoolers. With school approval, the course may also count as a student’s third or fourth science credit necessary for graduation. Participants that want to receive credit must pass with at least a C.
The University of West Alabama also recognizes the marine science program as an accredited course. College students can receive one biology undergraduate credit hour with a passing grade of a C or higher.
Closest Dauphin Island Accommodations
Along with white sandy beaches and the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, Dauphin Island is also home to the Sea Lab and its estuary. Visitors can stroll along the living boardwalk, visit the aquarium, and take part in several educational programs.
If you’re lucky enough to be in the coastal town for vacation, you’ll find plenty of places to stay. Dauphin Island condo rentals are one option. You are close to the beach and the Sea Lab, especially if you are staying at one of the Sandcastle condo rentals.
Want something more private with fewer neighbors close by? Dauphin Island has several rental vacation homes, and most are on the beach. You have all of the privacy you want, along with amenities and gorgeous views of the water. You’re also just minutes away from the Sea Lab, rookery, and living boardwalk!
You might want to pamper yourself while your kids are at the Sea Lab day camp. Dauphin Island boasts several hotels with spas, pools, and everything else you need for a relaxing vacation. There are also budget-friendly hotels near the beach for families and students that are primarily visiting for the programs offered at the Sea Lab.
Plan Your Dauphin Island Getaway
The best part of it all is that Dauphin Island rentals are right near the Sea Lab so it’s only a short walk to the aquarium and estuary!
Learn About the Marine Environment at Home or Visit Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Even though the past year has kept most people at home, it hasn’t stopped Dauphin Island Sea Lab from continuing its educational mission.
The virtual learning programs take interested kids and adults on exciting journeys that teach them about life in the ocean and along the coastline. Some high school and college students can even get a credit hour for taking the marine science course.
After watching the YouTube videos or Facebook Live events, you can stroll down the beach. See if you can identify the shells you find or some of the native plants in the salt marshes.
