Programs

On Saturday, September 22, 2012, the fourth in a series of programs about the importance of water usage was held at SNC. Guests were invited to attend a puppet show and complete a scavenger hunt to learn ideas that save water.

The puppet show character, Mr. Drip, tripped in to demonstrate what a water user might do in a normal day. The animal characters and the audience showed Mr. Drip what he was doing wrong and how he could save water.

Children and their parents went on a scavenger hunt to find questions posted around the center. A volunteer at each station helped the participants to answer the question. Guests responded with a written answer or picture on their scavenger sheets. The different stations included water hogs, rain barrels, pond, drought tolerant plants, compost and microscopes.

One of the favorite activities was making a miniature garden. Participants planted succulents in a small container and decorated with natural objects. They learned how little these plants need to be watered.

Children gathered under a tree to listen to the story The Waterhole by Graeme Base. All ages enjoyed the beautiful pictures and tale of the animals sharing the water.

We thank the many volunteers who helped to make this a quality event where children and adults had an opportunity to learn more about their environment and the importance of water in our future.

On June 23, 2012, the third Planet Water program, Shipley to the Ocean, was enjoyed by 60 guests. Families learned about how pollution reaches the ocean and how they can make a difference. Puppeteers acted out the problem of trash entering the ocean by the way of street gutters and storm drains. Children interacted with Olover Ocean to sort out ocean bound trash that could be recycled.

Children made wrist bands to remind them of the best practices that will result in a healthier ocean. Each bead represented a behavior they will follow in the future. A list of the most common beach litter was shared with participants.

The picture book All the Way to the Ocean by Joel Harper was read to small groups to further educate visitors about how trash thrown on streets and down gutters ends up in the ocean.

A mural was created that contrasted a healthy ocean compared to one filled with pollution. Children drew pictures to show what is found in healthy water verses what is found in polluted waters.

Microscopes and other visuals helped families learn the importance of kelp forests to the health of the ocean. The leaders allowed visitors to play a game to showing ways to take care of our kelp forests. Redwood forests were compared to kelp forests to show how they are similiar.

A golf game gave children a fun way to learn how water flows from the mountain watershed to the ocean. They were introduced to the concept of urban runoff and how it effects the rivers and oceans.

The tour told the story of how Freeman Creek was once used by native americans to navigate to the ocean for their food and other needs.

For the first time visitors were introduced to online programs that educate young adults about the ocean. Parents were given educational web sites including Project Wet(Water Education for Teachers). Children were guided on the computer to play games that give information of how the ocean is being polluted and what they can do to reduce this problem.

Thanks to 25 dedicated volunteers, families had an entertaining and educational afternoon learning the importance of keeping our oceans healthy.

On March 24, Shipley Nature Center held their second in a series of four Planet Water events. This was an activity for the whole family. One of the highlights of the day was a chance to learn about Blackbird Pond. The pond, which is the lowest point of the center, is fed by an underground aquifer. Children learned how and why the pond’s water level rises and falls in a rather mysterious way. Everyone was introduced to and encouraged to use the vocabulary that was taught.

Each family had an opportunity to make their own aquifer to take home. Recycled water bottles served as miniature aquifers. This experiment allowed participants to observe how water rises through porous material.

Thanks to volunteer scientists, using and sharing microscopes, visitors were able to view tiny critters that live in the water of Blackbird Pond.

One of the favorite events of the day was a puppet show. Here, Patti Potable and her nature center animal friends explained the phenomenon of the pond.

Also included in the day was a mural. Children could color and add their ideas showing how water that begins as rain or snow can become an underground reservoir. This was a wonderful opportunity to understand that much of Huntington Beach sits on a gigantic underground lake. Shipley’s book The Mystery of Blackbird Pond, was read to small groups throughout the afternoon.

Many thanks to all the docents, students, scientists and other volunteers who gave their time and enthusiasm to make the day a success.

The first Planet Water Event was held on January 28 at Shipley Nature Center. Fifty people were in attendance. Eleven adults and eleven high school students volunteered to help with the set up, the puppet show, tours, story time as well as the crafts.

Puppets told the story of the importance of fresh water and the limited supply we have here on Planet Earth. Puppets, Olover Ocean, Patti Potable and their animal friends showed the audience how much more ocean water we have than potable water. High school students from La Quinta and El Dorado were our puppeteers.

A tour of the stream, water barrels, and water hogs demonstrated how rain water can be harvested. The participants learned vocabulary words to describe how water is stored in cisterns to be used later to water plants.

La Quinta high school students guided participants in making a rain gauge out of recycled items that they could take home. Families were encouraged to use their rain gauges to measure the amounts of rain fall in the upcoming months. They will record this information in a booklet they received and periodically bring it to Shipley to enter their data in the center's master book.

Children created a mural to show how they would save water. They drew pictures or wrote about how they plan to make a difference in the amount of water used in their homes.

The picture book Water Dance by Thomas Locker was read to tell the story of the many forms of water.