FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Online aquarium site offers virtual field trips

Online aquarium site offers virtual field trips

Aquarium Online Academy bit.ly/AOPacademy - - - Sorry, parents: There's no scientific cure for antsy kids. Similarly, there's no substitute for a field trip - especially when social distancing has closed the nation's zoos, museums and recreational facilities.

But institutions are getting creative in the face of covid-19, and one closed aquarium is very much open for business. The Aquarium of the Pacific, Southern California's largest aquarium, recently launched Aquarium Online Academy, a web-based center for marine-related education and entertainment.

Usually, the aquarium and its 12,000 ocean animals welcome about 1.7 million visitors a year. The free academy is a chance to visit without leaving your house - and learn a little along the way.

The site brings together on-demand videos, activities and interactive live shows for viewers of all ages. Live programming includes a show about the special nature of kelp forests, mackerel dissection and a career discussion about sea turtle monitoring.

Webcams stream 24-hour video of the museum's shark lagoon, collection of sea jellies and penguin habitats. And associated lesson plans help turn the hypnotic viewing into a deeper learning experience. Even coloring and activity sheets are available to keep kids occupied offline.

Adults can get in on the action, too, with archived lectures dating back to 2010. Notable talks include deep dives into sea otter survival, a talk on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where 79,000 tons of marine debris stagnates, and a discussion of how underwater drones explore the deep ocean.

The academy's schedule is ever-changing. To get started, visit bit.ly/AOPacademy.

 

 

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