Coast Day, the University of Delaware’s annual celebration of the sea, attracts everyone from seafood lovers to people who want to know more about the coast. But if there’s one group that’s sure to enjoy this special day, it’s children.
Coast Day — a free event to be held Sunday, Oct. 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UD’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes — gives kids a hands-on view of the ocean and coastal environment with activities such as crab races and marine critter touch tanks.
Families making the trip to Coast Day will want to make the Information Table at Cannon Lab their first stop. There they can pick up their Treasure Hunt map, which lets kids answer questions related to Coast Day events and win cool prizes.
Next, families can open up the event program and see which activities are especially kid-friendly. Exhibits and demonstrations that kids will love are marked with a special children’s activity icon.
One such event will be the magic show, There’s Magic in the Atmosphere, in which UD Professor of Oceanography George Luther will use his bag of glowing and exploding chemical magic tricks to not only amaze his audience, but also explain various marine-related phenomena. The show will take place at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Also sure to grab the interest of kids will be Professor Green, DuPont Clear into the Future’s multimedia robotic educator. Professor Green will teach children how to protect the planet on which they live. Another special exhibit centered on that theme will demonstrate how guests, including kids, can help solve coastal challenges in their everyday lives.
Other events include an overview of boating safety, in which children sign a safe boating pledge and receive a personal floatation device (available on a first-come, first-served basis), and the Amazing Invertebrate Showcase, which teaches kids how organisms such as snails, worms, and crabs are being used in the research of marine-related issues. Also, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will let kids try on “Gumby” survival suits.
For more information about Coast Day, which is sponsored by UD’s College of Marine and Earth Studies (CMES) and the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, visit www.deseagrant.org/coastday or call 302-831-8083. Additionally, the full lineup is available through the event program, which is posted on the above web site.
To learn more about the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, visit www.deseagrant.org.
For more about CMES, visit www.ocean.udel.edu.