mommymonster Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 My children are somewhat obsessed with water bodies and the critters (broadly speaking) that live therein. For the 2015-16 school year, we dove into trout and salmon, sharks, and reef inhabitants. We spent a few days at a marine science center and aquariums. We attended "salmon days" and "trout festivals." We made a number of dioramas. We also did a deep dive into pond life and limnology, and spent a month living on a 41-acre pond where we did fun science things daily (water samples, testing, filtering, observing). They also fished, rowed, photographed, and basically embraced everything about it. We also read fiction about fish and water bodies (The Case of the Missing Cutthroats, Paddle-to-the-Sea, My Side of the Mountain --> that one may not count). They watch documentaries and stuff like River Monsters (I'm not sure if I consider it educational? sorta?). I'll be honest and say that I thought we did a good job covering topics and that we were going to be done with fish at the end of the school year. My children think otherwise. :001_rolleyes: They would like to learn more about fish, marine mammals, more ocean critters, oceanography, etc. I've exhausted my knowledge of the subject. We've exhausted our local libraries' book and DVD resources. I was wondering if the all-knowing Hive would mind throwing out some ideas about other topics to cover? I was thinking that cichlids would be interesting. I was also thinking of a country study with earth science and local fish thrown in? I would **love** to not have to re-create the wheel on this! Does anyone have suggestions for topics and resources. The boys are 7 and 10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 We thought the HHMI video Your Inner Fish was interesting. I participated in Project Oceanology as a kid--maybe they'll have more ideas for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 Whitehawk, thank you! I was thinking last night on how to expand the study of "fish" to other things so that (a) the boys learn something new and (b) I don't go insane. Perhaps a nice bit of genetics and evolution is in order. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Sea Rescues is on Hulu, and is several seasons (5 maybe) of rescuing sea turtles, sea mammals, etc. My kids love it. Oh, and I think Build Your Library has a unit study on sharks. Read 2,000 leagues under the sea? Try to shift them to fishing information? Or boating? History of sailing and types of boats and such? Or submarines? Or treasure hunting? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 (edited) You could add a cooking element! Fried catfish is yummy! (Farmed fish brings in all kinds of things: ecology, politics, human dietary/health issue) How many kinds of fish/seafood have they eaten? You could have a Master Chef Jr. competition with seafood cooking! Mystery boxes and all! Edited July 5, 2016 by ScoutTN 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted July 4, 2016 Author Share Posted July 4, 2016 ktgrok and ScoutTN, Thanks for the suggestions! Both boys LOVE fishing, and are obsessed with fishing gear. And they are starting to tie flies. I will add commercial fisheries to my list of topics to discuss. DH and the boys built a pirogue last winter, and I'm hoping they will continue to work on boat projects this next winter. Golly, writing this all out makes me wonder if this is an outright obsession, not just "somewhat" of an obsession. Goodness. Moby Dick, perhaps, in addition to 20,000 Leagues? I'm a vegetarian, but am learning how to make decent fish. The boys have had white bass, trout, halibut and shrimp poppers, but I agree that cooking needs to be added to our list. Perhaps I'll add a number of side dishes to their home ec course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Mine love BBC's Blue Planet DVD set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Could they start a business selling fishing lures?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 ktgrok and ScoutTN, Thanks for the suggestions! Both boys LOVE fishing, and are obsessed with fishing gear. And they are starting to tie flies. I will add commercial fisheries to my list of topics to discuss. DH and the boys built a pirogue last winter, and I'm hoping they will continue to work on boat projects this next winter. Golly, writing this all out makes me wonder if this is an outright obsession, not just "somewhat" of an obsession. Goodness. Moby Dick, perhaps, in addition to 20,000 Leagues? I'm a vegetarian, but am learning how to make decent fish. The boys have had white bass, trout, halibut and shrimp poppers, but I agree that cooking needs to be added to our list. Perhaps I'll add a number of side dishes to their home ec course! We tricked out kids into eating calamari a couple of summers ago. We just ordered it and let them enjoy it and only then told them what it was. Since then they have been more willing to try new seafood dishes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 Could they start a business selling fishing lures?! That's a really great idea! I think they will need to refine their skills. Although they might have success making fishing lure "crafts" -- my birthday presents were fishing lure necklaces. :001_wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 (edited) Memorize poems about fish, water and aquatic life? My Ogden Nash book, Zoo, has 13 short, funny ones! Edited July 5, 2016 by ScoutTN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 My kids fish obsession started with blue planet and Octonauts when he was like four. He's now nine and it hasn't ended yet. Just saying... Mind you your curriculum sounds quite impressive. What about a detour into learning more about fish farming and aquaculture? Maybe you could even set up a tank and breed some guppies or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Oh another side detour we took was diy fishing lures there's heaps of videos on YouTube and you can make some cool looking stuff from Bottle tops, tinsel, softwood, and a bit of paint plus some basic hooks. Good for design and tech. A show called inside natures Giants had a dissection of I think maybe a whale and a giant squid from memory. You could get into anatomy. Also look for more in depth books by marine biologist etc about their work and how they got into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonbon Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 DH's passion for fish, wildlife, and all things outdoors began as a boy your kids' ages and never let up! Despite roadblocks and admonishments from many in the early years to "stop dreaming" and seek a more practical education and employment, he studied wildlife biology (and some of the things your boys are into). And, praise God, he's now been gainfully employed for many years in his field and loves his work. It could be the same for your two sons, so I think it's awesome that you've encouraged them in their interests with fish. You've done an amazing job so far, looking at your list! Inspires me to encourage my kids' interests! I wanted to add that DH's employer allows volunteers to work alongside him various times throughout the year, doing cool hands-on stuff. At the ages of your DC, you would probably need to be involved, but is there any possibility of them getting some real hands-on experience with a local biologist? Are you near a college campus? You could search "icthyologist" / "ichtyology" and your region and see what comes up. Some hatcheries are well set up to use volunteers; are there any where you live? I know our aquarium has hands-on opportunities at times too but you generally have to look ahead and sign up for some sort of program to do it (not open to the passing tourist, in other words). Another thought would be a chartered fishing trip if you are near an ocean. They can be pricey, but quite an experience! We've also had a lot of fun as adults, studying and pursuing clams, crabs, mollusks, tide pool creatures, and other species that inhabit waters with fish! My kids are becoming quite adept at identifying shells because of a laminated ID card I bought once on a trip and their love of shopping at shell shops-- The best learning = their own learning when passionate about a subject! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonbon Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 P.S. DH loves River Monsters! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 vonbon, Thank you so much for your comments. I've been looking at their love of fish/fishing as a passing fancy, but perhaps it's going to turn into a life-long thing. We have friends who work for our state fish and wildlife services, so perhaps I'll make them dinner and see if I can find some opportunities for additional learning. Thank you again! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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