Program teaches kids about sea life
"I knew because basically I read a lot of books and memorize what I understand," Sidharth said. "That's my philosophy."
Sidharth, 8, got a chance to share his knowledge at a special program about whales, sea songs and nautical lore Tuesday. The event was sponsored by the Berry School Parent Teacher Organization and presented by Connecticut's official state troubadour, Tom Callinan.
In honor of last week's celebration of Earth Day, Callinan also stressed environmental conservation in a lively, interactive program that both educated and entertained the youngsters, who are in pre-school to third grade.
"We're on a little green speck on a little blue ball," Callinan sang. "We gotta take good care of that little blue ball cause it's the only home we've ever known."
Third-grader Brandon Weiss, 9, got the picture. Brandon said "a lot of people litter and it would be a lot better if people helped to save the Earth. They should save the whales or maybe in the future we won't have whales."
Victoria Tralli, 6, and Joselyn Santos, 7, learned garbage - especially plastic bags and balloons - can kill sea creatures. "I didn't know garbage and stuff could hurt them," said Victoria, a first-grader.
"I love whales. They're wonderful creatures," said Joselyn, a second-grader. "We shouldn't throw garbage in the water."
Callinan spoke about many types of whales, including the humpback and right whale, but he featured the sperm whale, which 30 years ago became Connecticut's official state animal. The youngsters oohed and aahed when Callinan showed replicas of huge sperm whale teeth and explained the animals have 50 teeth in their lower jaws that fit into sockets in their top jaws.
"I learned a lot of whale facts," said first-grader Jonathan Wild, 7. "I'm going to tell my sister because she really likes whales."
One of the facts Jonathan learned was some whales don't have teeth. They have baleen, "which feels like your fingernail," said Callinan, who showed the children a long, thin piece of baleen that came from a small finback whale that died in Connecticut waters.
The baleen has hair on the edges. When the whale opens its mouth, fish get caught on the hundreds of pieces of baleen that are on the roof of its mouth, Callinan said.
Children were chosen from the audience to demonstrate how 18th and 19th century sailors manned a whaling ship. As one child beat a drum, four children turned a device called a capstan that was used to bring up the heavy anchor that kept a ship from drifting - a job that could take 11 hours of hard work, Callinan said.
That was 8-year-old Brianna Pirre's favorite part of the program. "I liked best when he showed how sailors used anchors," said Pirre, who is in the third grade. "I've seen it (in films) but never knew it was real."
At the end of the program, Callinan reminded the children about their role in helping the Earth. "It's a few days after Earth Day. But when you live on planet Earth, every day is Earth Day."
Contact Marietta Homayonpour
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