Category Archives: Programs

Behind the Scenes at Ocean Life Education

They say never work with children or animals – but Richard Coward is happy to do both. The director of Ocean Life Education has spent the past 13 years combining two of his passions – protecting marine life and inspiring young minds. But the time spent in classrooms, early learning centres and at community events makes up only a fraction of the working day for Richard and his team of educators.

The day usually starts before first light, checking on the crew of animal ambassadors to make sure they are healthy and raring to go on an adventure. The creatures are chosen on a rotational basis to ensure they receive rest days between their public appearances, minimising fatigue. Bags of oxygenated water are filled to provide a safe and comfortable space inside the travel tubs which will become their home for their time on the road.

Apart from the cargo of animals, the van is loaded with extra salt water, games, artefacts, toys and books depending on the programs booked for the day. Details are checked and notes read through to make sure the educator is as prepared as possible for the day ahead.
Then they join the line-up of commuters, criss-crossing South East Queensland as they slowly progress towards their first show of the day.

Unpacking the animals and exhibits is an artform in itself, with tubs carefully stacked to limit the numbers of trips back and forwards. We allow half an hour to set up, giving the animals new water so they can breathe easily while on display. We arrange them in a user-friendly way that allows enthusiastic little participants ample room to feel their way around our very tactile exhibits. Children wash their hands without soap to ensure no chemicals or sunscreen residue is passed onto our animals.

We normally present multiple sessions at any one location, quickly re-setting between shows to make it fresh for the new group. Pack up time takes another half hour as water is changed again to prepare the animals to move to a new location where we repeat the whole process.
When the final program is over and everything secured in the van, we head home to return our animal ambassadors to their tanks and begin the feeding regime. We have half a dozen different food sources to distribute to our creatures, their diets carefully regulated to mimic conditions in the wild.

On days when we don’t have displays to set up, we maintain our tanks, receiving 1,500 litres of ocean water every couple of weeks which we store and use when needed.
Even though our animals may only be on display for short periods in the day, a lot goes into keeping them happy and healthy. But we know all the cleaning, all the prep work and all the sitting in traffic is worth it if it helps the next generation learn to love, appreciate and protect our waterways.

Marine Biologist for a Day

Over the past few years, hundreds of primary schoolers have enjoyed our holiday sessions that inspire them to care for the ocean – now it’s time for the high schoolers to get in on the action.

Due to popular demand, our Marine Biologist for a Day program has been adapted to cater for an older audience who want a more in depth look at the world of marine science.

Students will have the chance to examine in detail our impact on the ocean including environmental stress on coral reef systems, water acidification and plastic pollution.  We will discuss a wide range of ideas on how to better care for the health of our seas.

The aim of the program is to making learning fun and relevant, examining animal classification to discover how each creature fits into the aquatic world.

The program will be very interactive, with students observing the dissection of a dead fish to reveal the organ make-up and development of a mullet.

And our most popular feature will still be included – the chance to gently touch our living sea creatures – an opportunity that never gets old at any age!

This program will provide a valuable insight to the workings of the aquatic world for any high schooler who has a passion for the ocean or is considering a career in marine sciences.

But we haven’t forgotten the younger students – our classic Marine Biologist for a Day will still be running in school holidays – we’re just expanding the program to grow with your kids.

For more details check out https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/marine-biologist-for-a-day/

Hands On Holiday Learning

20161113_095649_resized_646x363Ever wondered how many teeth a shark has?  How long sea cucumbers live for?  Which animal throws its stomach out through its mouth to eat?  Ocean Life Education’s Marine Biologist for a Day Program is designed for children with a curiosity about the marine environment and all the animals who live in it.

This program delves well below the surface to provide kids with an in-depth knowledge about sea creatures and clears up some common misconceptions about the ocean’s much maligned apex predator.

Director of Education, Richard Coward, says sharks are always a popular topic on the day.

“So much of what we think we know about sharks comes from movies like Jaws and most of it is incorrect.  Sharks are not attracted by human blood and we’re not on their preferred menu.”

As part of the hands on nature of the program, children get to touch different shark jaws, learning about the shape of their teeth and why they vary so much between species.

An essential part of the learning process is making sure the information is delivered in a fun and tactile way.

While meeting Rainbow, the freshwater turtle, children discover how simple pollutants such as plastic bags are proving fatal to sea turtles. They learn how the reptile’s digestive system prevents rubbish, mistaken as food, from being regurgitated.

For Richard this environmental message is a key point he wants to get across in the program. “We treat the ocean likes it’s invincible but it’s not.  Every little thing that ends up in the sea has the potential to make animals sick – and if they start to die off, the impact on humans is huge as well. Making that connection between sea and land is vital for the planet’s future.”

While stroking sea stars, handling sawfish rostrums and observing a baby shark from close quarters, the children absorb a huge amount of interesting facts, which they share with their parents in a presentation at the end of the day.

Marine Biologist for the Day is a unique program run by Ocean Life Education during school holidays on the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.  It’s suitable for 7-12 years olds and is ideal for anyone with a passion for the ocean and a desire to make a difference to the lives of sea creatures.

Find out more

Party Animals

b'day party nixon2

What’s not to love about a party – the food, the fun… and throw in a friendly turtle, a baby shark, some striking sea stars, and you’ve got the makings of a pretty memorable day for any young nature lovers!

Ocean Life Education loves a good celebration – especially when we get to share our passion for all things sea related with a roomful of eager attendees.  So when the call came to be part of a young shark lover’s birthday, we didn’t need to be asked twice!

Now its fair to say that sharks are not a regular sight at Kawana Aquatic Centre on the Sunshine Coast – and we hasten to add ours was not let loose in the pool but Bob was there none-the-less along with some colourful companions.

The constant rain was forgotten as birthday boy Nixon and his friends became fascinated by our menagerie of marine animals – gentle touching them to help create connection and understanding which will hopefully lead to a lifelong desire to protect them and help conserve their environment.

Our Ocean Life animal ambassadors are guests of honour at all sorts of parties – from Kindy break-ups, to Xmas celebrations and any community events celebrating nature.

And while we like to think we’re educating through fun interactions, sometimes it’s the party recipient themselves who teaches us all a lesson in caring.  Young Mia was so determined to make a difference to ocean animals, she encouraged all her friends to make a donation to the Australian Marine Conservation Society – instead of bringing gifts.  She raised $200 to help fund efforts to preserve our oceans for generations to come.

It’s children like Mia and Nixon that makes it all worthwhile for us and even more reason we love to hang with our party animals.