Learning about a lake

[mommymonster]

Hi. I have two sons, 10 and 6. Both started fishing about six months ago, and since then we've read a ton of books on fish and fishing. We have hit every library in the county for nonfiction fishing and fish books. We've watched a silly amount of videos on fish. Unit study on trout. Attended trout and salmon festivals. Dissected a trout. Their knowledge of fish is trending toward encyclopedic at this point.  

 

My DH is eligible for sabbatical this spring (eight weeks, May-June), and we will be spending it at a small lake in Michigan (near Gladwin/Clare area). The cottage has no TV or WIFI. The boys "attend" a distance learning program, so we'll need to keep doing school. I'd like to do a deep dive into lakes -- pretty much everything is on the table-- fish and other critters in the lake, water quality, anything, really. 

 

I'm not sure where to start. They don't necessarily need more on fish, but we will dive further into their knowledge of the local fish population. I've not found a "limnology for kids" book, but I'd sure love one. I've found some great websites on the topic, but I'm wishing I had a bit more of a handbook I could work through. Also, I'm going to be honest and say that I don't have a field research background, but that both of my kids are really interested in heading that way academically (the six year old is particularly driven). I was thinking we could build a secchi disk. I'd like to measure water temperature at different depths, but I'm not sure we have the equipment (or the technical knowledge of how to do it. 

 

I'd love guidance, advice, or a good smack in the back of the head. 

[Incognito]

One starting point could be the local tourist information booth.  Tourism websites may help too, but I say the booth or building there itself because when I have gone to ones in different areas they have sold books by local authors and have things related to local landmarks (and habitats).  

 

Have your kids learned about how lakes function?  Thermoclines and how they freeze and thaw, how animals survive in winter in them, etc.? You could likely get data on when the lake you will be visiting has frozen and thawed, and what inhabits it.  If there is a local conservation officer, that could be a GREAT resource. 

[Carol in Cal.]

Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature will give you tons of great ideas

 

Voyage of the Mimi is a story oriented scienceish book that could be a jumping off point for thinking through survival skills and try some out, like distilling drinking water from salt water (or from contaminated water).  More books with survival stuff in them:  http://www.amazon.com/Survivor-Kid-Practical-Wilderness-Survival/dp/1569767084/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453095269&sr=1-11&keywords=wilderness+survival  http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0062208977/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51CUnvaN5lL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR115%2C160_&refRID=0DF1WGN68RFBY65E74DE

 

 

Be sure to buy field guides for that area before you go--you'll be able to use ones that cover animals, plants, and birds for sure.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Creepy-Crawlies-Scientific-Method-Hands-/dp/1555911188/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453095428&sr=1-2&keywords=creepy+crawlies+and+the+scientific+method+more+than+100+hands-on+science+experiments+for+children

 

The above includes some experimentation/observations that involve ponds.

 

I'd be inclined to invest in the following GEMS books and sample from them:

http://www.lhsgems.org/GEMSrivercutters.html

http://www.lhsgems.org/GEMaquatic.html

http://www.lhsgems.org/GEM120.html

[theelfqueen]

I would definitely get in touch with local ranger services (National Forest, Date Parks, etc.) A lot of the time they have great local resources for free!

[mara61]

Hi,

 

I do not have anything concrete to give you and you did say you have found some websites, but perhaps these sites could steer you towards what you are looking for

 

http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/education/great-lakes-education-program-glep/

 

While you will be staying on one of the smaller lakes, taking a trip to a larger one and having the opportunity to go out on a floating classroom would be fun.

 

http://superiorwatersheds.org/great-lakes-education-programs

 

http://schoolship.org/

 

 

Have a fantastic time!

[Carol in Cal.]

BTW, have they tried fly fishing or just line fishing?  Fly fishing is a lot more strenuous, but it's kind of interesting.  What you do is tie flies that look like the bugs that are in season that month, so you have to learn about the insects in the area and their life cycles.  A good fly fishing book would be a great supplement to what you're doing already.

[mommymonster]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments! I am getting really excited to study this topic further! I'm a little tired of fishing, but I think lake ecology is something I can get behind!

 

Have your kids learned about how lakes function?  Thermoclines and how they freeze and thaw, how animals survive in winter in them, etc.? You could likely get data on when the lake you will be visiting has frozen and thawed, and what inhabits it.  If there is a local conservation officer, that could be a GREAT resource. 

 

We have discussed lake function very basically... it's time for a deep dive. Thank you so much for the conservation officer recommendation! I have a list of folks to call tomorrow at the Michigan DNR. This lake is small and very underdeveloped, so I'm not sure how much information we'll be able to dig up. 

 

Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature will give you tons of great ideas

 

Voyage of the Mimi is a story oriented scienceish book that could be a jumping off point for thinking through survival skills and try some out, like distilling drinking water from salt water (or from contaminated water).  More books with survival stuff in them:  http://www.amazon.com/Survivor-Kid-Practical-Wilderness-Survival/dp/1569767084/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453095269&sr=1-11&keywords=wilderness+survival  http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0062208977/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51CUnvaN5lL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR115%2C160_&refRID=0DF1WGN68RFBY65E74DE

 

 

Be sure to buy field guides for that area before you go--you'll be able to use ones that cover animals, plants, and birds for sure.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Creepy-Crawlies-Scientific-Method-Hands-/dp/1555911188/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453095428&sr=1-2&keywords=creepy+crawlies+and+the+scientific+method+more+than+100+hands-on+science+experiments+for+children

 

The above includes some experimentation/observations that involve ponds.

 

I'd be inclined to invest in the following GEMS books and sample from them:

http://www.lhsgems.org/GEMSrivercutters.html

http://www.lhsgems.org/GEMaquatic.html

http://www.lhsgems.org/GEM120.html

 

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I have a number of them on the way!  :thumbup:

 

Hi,

 

I do not have anything concrete to give you and you did say you have found some websites, but perhaps these sites could steer you towards what you are looking for

 

http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/education/great-lakes-education-program-glep/

 

While you will be staying on one of the smaller lakes, taking a trip to a larger one and having the opportunity to go out on a floating classroom would be fun.

 

http://superiorwatersheds.org/great-lakes-education-programs

 

http://schoolship.org/

 

 

Have a fantastic time!

 

These would be such cool opportunities. I will have to dig a bit more to see if I can find ranger talks near where we are staying. 

 

BTW, have they tried fly fishing or just line fishing?  Fly fishing is a lot more strenuous, but it's kind of interesting.  What you do is tie flies that look like the bugs that are in season that month, so you have to learn about the insects in the area and their life cycles.  A good fly fishing book would be a great supplement to what you're doing already.

 

They haven't tried fly fishing yet, but are chomping to do so. I have an uncle in Michigan who is a fly fisherman, and I'm hoping he'll be willing to help teach them. DH and I have never fly fished. I have a book on fly fishing that talks about stream ecology that I am reading. It's fascinating, the amount of observation and art that goes into fly tying. 

[Kerileanne99]

Is there a university near there? If they have an ecology/biology/toxicology section they may well have ongoing research on the lake. You might check as it can be a great resource. For example, The uni here has multiple researchers studying anything from water quality to invasive species of plants and animals to engineering projects and how they might affect the ecology. They even are studying the effects of drugs such as heart meds and BC meds that are commonly found in the lake on smaller organisms. Very cool. And very frightening:(

[Dmmetler]

Along with the above, check with the wildlife resources agency in your area, and any standing research institutes. These may or may not be at a university (or may be physically at a university, but be basically a separate organization). They would have ideas, and may be able to connect you with resources. Pond health is a big ecosystem indicator.

 

DD gets a lot of resources to use when she's doing workshops for kids from these programs

http://www.projectwild.org/

http://www.projectwet.org/

http://www.projectwild.org/%5C/aquatic/index.htm

 

You can get most of the materials online, and they have some awesome activities.

 

Natural Inquirer is a program from the US Forest Service. The Natural Inquirer journal is for middle schoolers, but they have other materials for younger children as well. If you search by subject, you should be able to find a lot related to lakes that would be interesting. A lot is available online, but their free print materials are wonderful, too.

 

http://www.naturalinquirer.org/

 

For a 6 yr old, PBSkids.org would be a good place to start, especially Wild Kratts. You can search by topic, and find videos and activities. There is a lot of good stuff, and PBS generally partners with organizations. My DD was involved with their Sci Girls program when they wanted to do an episode with Frogwatch USA and on citizen science related to frogs, and they really were working to make the material accessible to kids.

 

 

 

Project Frogwatch has materials  on identifying frogs and tadpoles and opportunities to participate in citizen science involving frogs and tadpoles. This may be more for you to look at and then decide what you want to use with your children. 

 

Save the Frogs! has resources for kids on frog and wetlands conservation (again, my DD is one of their compilers).

 

 

DD's mentor is really big on catch and release observation and dipnetting, but do check legality and what precautions need to be taken. In my area, it's really not a good idea to dip net without treating your tools between water sources to prevent the spread of disease to animals-and in areas with agricultural run off, you may need to take precautions to prevent spread of disease to humans, too.

 

Have fun!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shifra]

I was also going to mention that you may want to buy a microscope (even toy stores sell them but a more professional one from Carolina Biological Supply would cost at least $200) and look at the lake water under the microscope. See what protozoa is in the water, etc.

[Kalmia]

Pond and Brook by Michael J. Caduto  (what we call ponds here in New England are often lake sized)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Pond-Brook-Nature-Freshwater-Environments/dp/0874515092/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=