Living In Canaan: Field Trip Friday

Last week, one of our local homeschool groups went on a field trip to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Mississippi. The field trip lasted around 2 1/2 hours and made our list of favorite field trips EVER!! One mother remarked that it was like having our own personal Sea World. The fee was around $6 per person and the staff were incredibly patient and informative. It was one of those rare homeschool field trips that was perfect for all ages.
Here is a peek at our day:

The day began with a movie and a visit from Poppy, a very entertaining Cockatoo. She performed many fun behaviors with her trainer, including placing recyclables in a recycle can and hanging upside down like a bat.

We then went to the beautiful, new Discovery room that was filled with fascinating sea life in aquariums and three touch pools. The touch pools included bamboo sharks, sting rays, hermit crabs and starfish.

The group was treated to a session on sea turtles and their existence and struggle in the Gulf of Mexico. We came away with one very important fact...STOP USING THOSE PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS!! A turtle was found nearby with nearly 3 pounds of plastic bags in his stomach that he was unable to digest. This made the turtle think he was full and he was only 1/3 of the weight he should have been. The bags look identical to jellyfish, which are a mainstay of most sea turtles' diets.

The group was then taught how the teams at IMMS respond to and rescue beached Marine Mammals. They were taught how to check a dolphin's pulse and how to load it on a stretcher. They were given the opportunity to break into teams and "race" to save a dolphin.

Finally, the highlight of the day, was a small dolphin show put on by the trainers and 2 special rescued dolphins, Buster and Bo. Bo, we were told, was named after Bo Derek :) The dolphins jumped, flipped and showed off all of their beauty while one of the tour guides told us so many fascinating facts about these incredible creatures.