Mote extends education and exploration with spring break camp

Mammals and reptiles and invertebrates, oh my! The camp is open for registration now.

By Katie Johns
| 6:00 a.m. January 18, 2017

Kian Ahmadi, 10, holds a starfish he found while snorkeling during Mote' s â€œSea Sleuths: Generation H2O" summer camp.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Calling all AquaKids and Sea Sleuths: Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is planning its first spring break camp for students in the first through eighth grades.

The camp runs from March 13-17, but parents aren’t locked in to all five days, so spring break family excursions won’t be disrupted. Parents can sign up their campers for the entire week, or individual days.

“We really wanted to have Mote be an option for kids to come [to], and that’s a big reason we made it single days, because a lot of families are on vacation, but they still want to come check out Mote and see what we have to offer,” Kaitlyn Hofeldt, a marine science educator at Mote said.

Leandra DiMarco, 3, touches a starfish during "The Coast Counts" summer camp at Mote.

For $115 a day — $100 a day for Mote members — AquaKids and Sea Sleuths will explore the wonders of the deep through special activities, experiments and explorations.

“Kids are going to get really immersed . . . each day, the theme of the day,” Hofeldt said.

AquaKids is for first- through fourth-graders and will focus on introducing campers to different sea animals and their life cycles. Sea Sleuths is for students in the fifth to eighth grades and will expose campers to some of the research being conducted on sea creatures.

The first day of camp is dedicated to fish.

Campers will learn about the difference between Nemo, a bony fish, and sharks, a cartilaginous fish, Hofeldt said. On Tuesday, campers learn about marine mammals — manatees, dolphins and otters. Wednesday is reptile day, and Thursday is for coral reef study.

Friday is all about spineless sea creatures — invertebrates important to the ocean that don’t get as much attention as larger sea animals.

Makaela Leader, 4, and Harry Duke, 5, check out the marine wildlife campers found in the water during "The Coast Counts" summer camp at Mote.

Campers will start each day in a classroom getting to know each other and the animal of the day before exploring the aquarium and City Island, a sliver of land that is home to attractions and institutions on Sarasota Bay.

Each group will spend a day on a boat exploring Sarasota Bay, as well.

The camp runs from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with before- and after-camp care available at an additional charge of $10 for one, or $20 for both. To register, logon to mote.org.