Summer Institute: China Camp

On the first day of the Project ExCEL 2016 Summer Institute, teachers, project leaders, and specialists from the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) and the Romberg Tiburon Center (RTC) on the beautiful beaches of China Camp State Park.

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First, after the teachers signed in, we looked at "Habitats in a bucket." We discussed and wrote down what we noticed and what we wondered about the objects inside the buckets.

Then we met in a circle, and we discussed the plan for the week, and some key science concepts: "I notice," "I wonder," and "It reminds me of..."

We were invited to investigate the beach alone or in groups, with the requirements that we vocalized what we noticed and what we wondered about. "Inquiry Fever!"

Now that we had familiarized ourselves with the beach and had some questions, we grouped our observations into five main categories: water, seaweed, creatures, shells, and rocks. We formed groups around these topics, generated a researchable question, and began our investigations!

After a quick break for lunch, some teachers went on a brief tour of China Camp's buildings, and learned about the Chinese fishing village that had once thrived here.

Finally, we shared our observations with the larger group.

As a closing activity, we built models of a habitat out of clay and stones. We filled our habitats with water and created waves, and observed what happened to our clay creatures.