Students at Marblehead Elementary School went on an unusual field trip to the tide pools at Cabrillo last week.
A state park ranger appeared on a large screen in front of first- and fifth-grade classes from the Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego via Skype. The virtual field trip was sponsored by the Kids@Science Foundation to enhance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education through interactive events.
"It's great, we have a bunch of little 6- and 7-year-old scientists. They love to learn and they love science," said first-grade teacher Kendra Gerhard.
Students from Gerhards' first-grade class and students from Dave Dunbeck's fifth-grade class have been studying the tide pools this year and the virtual trip was just one way they learned about them. The fifth-graders also passed down some of their knowledge of the tide pools to their younger peers.
Gerhard said the virtual field trip is a great way for kids to learn without having to actually go down to tide pools. The ranger held up several animals that live in the tide pools, including an octopus, crab, sea slug and abalone.
The students asked the ranger questions, such as: "What's the most dangerous animal at the tide pools?"
It turns out humans are the biggest threat, the ranger said.
"I want to try and see the different animals like the octopus," said first-grader Ryan Karpowitz, who said he felt inspired to visit the tide pools after their virtual journey.
Gerhard said there are plans to have more field trips like these that allow students to interact with nature right from their classroom.