Baby turtles, starfish, crabs, crabs, and more crabs. We enjoyed fun on the beach at our latest party school, Turtle in the Sea Nature Book Club.
Baby turtles, starfish, crabs, crabs, and more crabs. We enjoyed fun on the beach at our latest party school, Turtle in the Sea #NatureBookClub. #ihsnet #la4k #onlinebookclub
Turtle in the Sea Nature Book Club Discussion
This month our book club was on the book, Turtle in the Sea by Jim Arnosky. This precious story is about an old mama sea turtle who goes on shore to lay her eggs. This beautifully illustrated picture book gives us a glimpse into the life of a sea turtle.
Learning about the Turtle in the Sea
Turtle in the Sea made us think of our recent trip to the coast of North Carolina and how much fun we had watching for the baby turtles to hatch.
You may see signs like this along the beach. These signs let you know that a turtle nest is below the sand. Along the coast of North and South Carolina, the loggerhead turtle lays her nest.
If you see a sign such as this one, be careful not to disturb the nest. Also be careful not to use flashlights at night. The baby sea turtles can mistake the flashlights as the moon reflecting off the water and crawl in the wrong direction.
Make sure to fill in any holes that you may have made before you leave the beach. This will also protect the baby sea turtles from becoming trapped or injured.
Sea turtle nests can hold between 50-200 eggs depending on the type of turtle! The one we were watching ended up hatching 87.
Sadly, we left an hour before they hatched, but we were there the next night when they inventoried the nest.
Here, you can see the baby turtles hatching and crawling to the ocean.
Most of these turtles won't make it to maturity, but those that do can live over a hundred years! In Ft. Caswell (where we watched the nests) they have an amazing group of volunteers who watch the nest nightly and then do inventories after the turtles hatch and make their way to the ocean. One egg from each nest is sent to a lab for DNA testing. This gives the researchers information on the mother of the eggs. Some of these mamas and their babies have been tracked for years as they come back to the same nesting areas each year.
Here's a great video to start you on your sea turtle learning journey.
Beach Nature Book Club Activities
Luckily for us, we were on our way to the beach this month. So, we couldn't have timed our nature book club better. Again, we were off to enjoy the coastal waters of the Carolinas. This time we headed to South Carolina. There is no limit to the number of unusual creatures you can find on the beach and in the estuaries. Here are some of the ones our family found.
Starfish
This blue crab really wanted our cup!
Mollusk Shell
Great Egret
Can you find all the crabs in these pictures?
These crabs were found near the shore. We tried to catch one for a picture, but they were astoundingly fast. They also were able to camouflage themselves in the rocks.
And, of course, you can always look for the elusive "sand" turtle!
Build your own sea turtle on the beach. This sea turtle was actually measured out by my kids to make sure it was the correct size.
There are so many more sea creatures to discover. We were excited to find these on our beach nature hike. Go on your own nature hike and see what you find.
Turtle in the Sea Online Nature Book Club
Go on a nature trek with us based on the book, Turtle in the Sea. During this online book club we will go on rabbit trails of discovery about sea turtles, sharks, waterspouts, and more. We will find ways to learn by experiencing parts of the book through arts and crafts.
We will add a little nature study magic dust and go on outdoor adventures into nature.
At the conclusion of the story, we will have a "party school" celebrating our ocean friends.
Take a Sneak Peek into our Turtle in the Sea Online Nature Book Club:
Book List
Adding adventure to the picture book Turtle in the Sea
Get your Turtle in the Sea Online Nature Book Club today! Just click below.
Now for the Nature Book Club Party!
This Month's Nature Book Club theme:
Beach, Sand, and Shells
The Nature Book Club is brought to you by these 3 nature loving bloggers and myself who are your co-hosts! Are you following them? If you don’t want to miss anything, be sure to follow each one.
Here are the co-hosts, their choices of books, and activities for the month:
Beach Scavenger Hunt from Emily at Table Life Blog
10 Nature Discoveries on the Sandy Shore from Eva at Eva Varga
Seashore Spotter Unit Study & Lapbook from Tina at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Hi, I’m Dachelle. I’m a homeschooling mom of 3 in the South. I love chocolate and have been known to hide it from my children. I can often be found reading a good book (or even sometimes just an okay book) and enjoying a jar of Nutella — don’t judge. I blog, here, at HideTheChocolate.com when I’m not creating book clubs and making lists…lots and lots of lists (it’s an addiction). Learn more…
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