Can
we explore further?
Can we help kids to discover more?
Marine
Education is an outstanding vehicle for learning. Students
are naturally excited and inquisitive about our marine
world.
About
85% of Australians live within 15 kms of the coastline
- Australians have a close affinity to the marine environment.
Technology,
including CD Roms and Internet sites, allow us to see
seahorses giving birth, to see ocean waves around Australia,
to get swell charts 124 hours in advance and get great
teaching resources via our MESA website.
How
can we help kids to explore further
and deeper?
We are all connected to the sea, we evolved from the sea
and we as humans are starting to appreciate more of the
ocean's resources. We are becoming more aware of the need
for conservation, we need real Marine Protection and more
education and awareness through our students and community.
We
shouldn't underestimate how powerful our students are
in passing on environmentally friendly messages and practices
to their peers and parents - even telling their parents
what they should and shouldn't be doing.
Exploring
locally
It is vitally important that our students learn about
their own environment and the ways that they can protect
and support it.
How
many students know more about the history and environments
of other countries than they do about their own backyard?
This
is an ideal opportunity to get "out of the four walls'
and help your students to discover. Most of us live near
a creek, river, wetland, sand dunes, mangrove area, sandy
shore, reef or rockpool area which all have a direct link
to the sea.