More Pictures From Our Trip

Here are some more pictures from our trip.

The students and I talked about the cliffs and how they may have been eroded over time due to the waves crashing into them. Also, how the plant life survives living on the side of a cliff. We talked about what kinds of animals might live in these plants and whether or not they eat the creatures found in the tide pools.

Here is another set of tide pools with lots of people exploring them.

We wondered if the tide ever receded out so far that these rocks would ever be completely exposed.

This might be the perfect dwelling for some fish once the water covered the rocks again. The students enjoyed imagining they were fish swimming around in their little cave.

Highlights From The Tide Pools

We had so much fun on our field trip and learned so much, but the most exciting part was the questions your children had and the stories they had to share. Here are some highlights.

• Kylie said that she has never seen many of the creatures she saw on this trip. She especially liked the sea anemones. She said that she didn't know anything natural could be that bright green and really liked how it curled up and attached shells to its backside as the water receded.
• Jonathan really liked to see the hermit crabs. He didn't know they were able to find a new shell once they grew large enough.
• Shihun had never been to the beach before and thought the entire experience was terrific. He said he will be asking his parents to take him and his little sister before they move back to Korea this summer.
• Trevor had been to the tide pools before, but not these ones. He said he saw many of the same types of creatures as on his previous trips, but saw a couple of new things, too.
• Soraya was hoping to see a dolphin on this trip, but said she was still happy with all of the other creatures she saw.

All of the students had thoughts and questions to share, but this is just a few of the ones shared. I hope you have enjoyed the thoughts of some of the students and took the opportunity to talk more about what they saw, smelled, heard, and thought on this trip.

More Tide Pool Information

If you're interested in visiting any one of California's intertidal regions, here are some helpful links and information I've acquired.

• Did you know that the intertidal zone is protected by the law? The Marine Life Protection Act was created with the intention to protect California's coastal tidal zone.
• It is never okay to take anything home with you from the beach. Not even a grain of sand. Sounds strict, but if everyone took something home, living or not, there wouldn't be much of anything left at the beach.
  
• Here are links to beaches great for tide pooling in Laguna Beach.

I'm happy to help if you're interested in visiting tide pools a little further north or Orange County as well. I'm familiar with some areas and would love to share my experiences and pictures. Tide pools are fun on the Channel Islands, too!!

Check Us Out

We did it! We went on our field trip to the Laguna Beach tide pools. There are lots of intertidal zones in the Laguna Beach area, but we chose Heisler Park because it is on the smaller side and very easily-accessible. Here are some pictures of our trip and what we saw.

When you first walk down the steps from Heisler Park, you see the rocky intertidal zone, full of life.



This is a great example of the tide rushing in and out of the intertidal zone. All sorts of living creatures live under this water and are exposed every day to the air. They become vulnerable to new types of prey such as birds, but they have many protective options to keep them save. This movement of water also provides them with a food source as they become much closer to the surface of the water, as opposed to being at the bottom of the shallow ocean floor.



What can you see in this tide pool?




This sea grass has strong stalks and roots. I wonder how it became dislodged from its home. Maybe an animal pulled it out for eating. Hopefully a human was not responsible for removing it.



Here it is in all its glory.



This mussel is being used as a subtrate or surface for other types of sea life. On the right you can see a type of plant that we'll have to look up to identify. On the left are the roots of sea kelp. The leafy parts of the plant have broken off, leaving the strong "feet" and stem exposed. It's possible an animal or snail ate the leaf/leaves off the plant.



Here is another sea kelp that attached itself to a rock or other solid surface.




This seaweed found a rock to hold onto and grow long and helathy. Hopefully duriung high tide, it will get swept back out into the ocean by a strong wave so that it can continue to live, provide food, and shelter for other creatures in the ocean.



This "pink thing," as the students called it, was the home of some tube worms and is hard like a shell.



Limpets are interesting creatures. They stick to the sides of rocks and lift their shells slightly off the rock to let water carry food to it. If they sense danger, they quickly clamp back down on the rock and are nearly impossible to lift off the rock. If the limpet has lived there long, it will have indented the rock slightly. They also have a "homing" characteristic where if they are removed, and find themselves away from their home, they can somehow sense how to get back to their home.

Clusters of mussels and other similar mollusks cluster together both for protection and for food opportunities as the tides rise and fall.



More clustered mollusks. How many different kinds can you find?



There are many different types of sea life in this tide pool. Can you see the ones that are running around?



Check out this hermit crab. As a protection mechanism, he pulled into his shell and closed the door so that a predator couldn't get to him. Don't believe me? Look at the next picture.



Look at him run! (Not to worry. We put him back in his tide pool right after we took this picture.)



One of the creatures in this tide pool has a wonderful camouflaging technique. Can you spot the creature and describe how what it is doing might protect it?



How about now?



There it is. You can just see the side of the sea anemone with its protective mechanism in action. As the tide rises, it will relax more and will eventually onlyu show us its top.



Just like these two are doing.



We found a sea urchin, on the sand. We don't think it's still alive, though. Did a predator get ahold of it?




Here's a wonderful example of the where the water recedes during a low tide and exposes the sand, creating a tide pool.


Look at these two gorgeous shells sitting atop the rock. Are they just shells? Or could there be something living in them? Hint: when the tide comes in, they are fully covered by water and take advantage of the food the water brings by.



Look at all of the mussels, limpets, and other mollusks.



Any and all surfaces at the beach are opportunities for sea life to call home. How many different types of sea life can you see in this picture (leg not included)?

If anyone is interested in going to these same tide pools, you may access them by turning down Cliff Drive off PCH in Laguna Beach. It is free to access, but all parking is metered, and many only accept quarters. There are some, however, that accept credit cards. If you do go down to Heisler Park or to other tide pools, I would love to see pictures. Bring them in, email them, or post them in the comments section.

Talk Amongst Yourselves

Our time at the tide pools pools would be a waste if we did not take the time to talk about what we saw and what it meant to us, the other visitors of the tidal community, and to the creatures who call this place their home. Students will have their science journals with them to jot down notes as they come across the things they recognize as well as the things they do not. They will have a page designated for drawing what they see and writing a brief description next to the drawing. They will complete this at the beach.

When we return to school, we will take some time (no more than 15 - 20) to write in our journals about the entire field trip. After we've done that, each student will have a chance to share something from their unique experience with the class. This will be a great time for them to ask questions, and if they are able, answer some of their classmates' questions. We'll be using the field guide, the internet, and our science textbooks as resources for any questions and discussions that arise.

While the field trip itself will be the most exciting part of the day, this chance for us to see what our fellow students saw and heard will be lots of fun.

Next time, we'll have visited the tide pools in Laguna Beach and will have lots of pictures to share.

More Preparation

Below are some resource materials I will be taking advantage of so that I can be best prepared for our exciting tide pools field trip coming up soon.

I will be using my field guide from when I took Oceanography and Marine Biology in college. This book is filled with pictures and details about all of the animals, plants, and substrates (surfaces) in the coastal community. We will be able to bring it with us on the field trip to help us identify things we don't recognize.

Here are some links that will help us become better acquainted with what we'll see on our trip.

• Tides - What are they and why do they fluctuate?
• Great details of what we'll see at the tide pools
  
• Lots of pictures and descriptions of different sea life we may encounter
• Click on the creatures on this page to learn more about them
• An excellent resource of tidal information as well as species identification with pictures and descriptions
  

Next time, we'll talk about how we'll discuss what we learned, what we'd like to learn, and what we thought we would have learned, but didn't on our field trip.

Be Prepared

Our Laguna Beach tide pool field trip is quickly approaching, so it is time to get prepared. Let's take a look at what we may need in order to be as prepared as we can be for this trip.

First and foremost, we'll need to make sure our little ones are protected from the damaging effects of the sun. The sun is sneaky and though the beach is typically cooler and often overcast, unlike further inland, the sun still penetrates through the clouds and the cool ocean breeze and will get ahold of your child's young skin. Our chaperons will be armed with SPF 45 sunscreen. Please do slather on a generous layer of your own sunscreen before your son or daughter comes to school on the day of the field trip. That way we can make sure that your child is adequately protected. We'll reapply if needed throughout the day. If you would like a higher SPF, please pack that with your child's lunch and let us know with a note. Also, please send your child to school with a baseball hat or a wide-brimmed sun hat. Please dress your child in a long-sleeve shirt and long pants. The sun is powerful and can penetrate lighter colors, so if possible, think dark colors. Please do not send your child to school in sandals of any kind. Tennis shoes are appropriate for this activity and any other type of shoe will unfortunately not be allowed on the tide pools.

Another important way we can be prepared is to learn all about the creatures we'll see down at the tide pools in Laguna Beach. During the week leading up to the field trip, your student will see pictures of the animals and plants they may see on the field trip. We will practice the names of the plants and animals as well as the substrates, or surfaces the creatures live on, in, and underneath. Having your child see pictures of what they may encounter on their exploration will help them quickly identify and be more familiar with the inhabitants of the tide pools. Some of the names we learn will be new to your child and this is an excellent way for us to pratice the names and learn more about them before we see them in their natural habitats.

We will also be talking about safety leading up to the field trip. Safety is so important both for your child as well as the creatures and ecosystem at the tide pools. First, we will discuss how slippery and some of the rocks can be at the tide pools and how it is important to use their legs and arms/hands, as well as always making sure they have their balance. They will also learn that this area of our coastal community is fragile and they must be sure to not disturb any of the creatures living there. That means not picking up or touching animals, and not pulling on any of the plants they find. They will also be reminded that the creatures living at the tide pools are there because that is their home. They will not survive in pockets, so they are to be left at the tide pools and not to be brought home as souvenirs. The tide pools, as with any beautiful community in our great state are not a gift shop and pictures and memories are all we will take with us when we leave.

Being protected from the sun, familiar with what we'll be seeing, and knowing how to be safe and respectful are crucial to a successful field trip. Each of the students in our class are more than capable of having a terrific learning experience on this field trip and we're all excited to get down there and learn.

Next time, we'll talk about how I can be as prepared for this trip as possible.