MariCamper Program Activities

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Newly revamped program just for summer camps based on some of our original activities from Watershed Walkabout: Cape Fear. Minimum of 10 students per group.

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K - 2nd Grades:

• Baleen In-Between - Different whales feed in different ways and this fun game demonstrates those feeding mechanisms. Campers will understand what happens to both baleen and toothed whales when humans begin to interact with their food supplies. (water component)

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• Flock Together - This interactive activity demonstrates the migration patterns of known species along the Atlantic coastal waterway.  Campers will learn what could happen to these species if their migration patterns were interrupted by an increase in predators or human interactions.

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• Incredible Journey - Come learn where water travels and in what form it takes through this interactive game, where campers act as water droplets to see how all life is connected and how pollution can infiltrate every part of the water cycle.

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• Sea Shell Sort - How many campers love to go to the beach and pick up random seashells? This activity will introduce them to the Phylum Mollusca.  They will be able to differentiate between common species by organizing them by size, color, shape, and type.

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• Sea Turtle Survival - Explore the interactions between humans and sea turtles throughout their life, how difficult it is for a turtle species to survive, and what it means to be threatened, endangered, and extinct.

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• Terrapin Bingo - Explore the salt marsh ecosystem of the terrapin turtle using a fun bingo game.  Campers will discover what they eat and who might eat them, as well as discuss human-related impacts on terrapin habitat, population, and reproduction.

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• Web of Life​ - All life is connected by the foods we consume and we explore different ecosystems down to the microscopic food source through this "pass the ball" game. Campers will also explore what happens when humans take too much from the ecosystem.

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• What's Under the Sand? - Identify sand-dwelling organisms and understand how they have adapted to living under the sand we stand on when we go to the beach. This lesson also incorporates chemistry to discover hidden species. (outdoor space preferred)

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• What Happened to my Food? - Develop your quick response as they race to get to the best food source before their food is depleted.  Campers learn how species cope with limited resources and what happens when there’s no more food to eat in this game of musical chairs.

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3rd - 5th Grades:

• Calcium Carbonate Calamity - Campers demonstrate what happens when too much acid is added to a large ecosystem like the ocean.  In this experiment, the rate of acidification will hinder some shellfish important to North Carolina from reproducing and surviving.

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• Dichotomous Dilemma - Campers differentiate between gastropod and bivalve invertebrates and learn how these shell homes are made.  Some examples of shells belonging to common species that are found on the beaches will be discussed and identified using key characteristics and a dichotomous key.

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• Incredible Journey - Come learn where water travels and in what form it takes through this interactive game, where campers act as water droplets to see how all life is connected and how pollution can infiltrate every part of the water cycle. (craft/art component)

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• Mighty Migrations - Campers demonstrate the migration patterns of birds that utilize the Great Atlantic Flyway, as well as marine mammal species that migrate along our coasts.  They also observe obstacles that these organisms face seasonally as they migrate in and around human activity.

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• Sum of the Parts - In our local watershed, water flows towards the estuary and ocean, so the headwaters are just as important as the estuary itself.  This activity elaborates on people pollution by exploring what happens when someone else’s trash winds up in your backyard down-river. (craft/art component)

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• Terrapin Bingo - Explore the salt marsh ecosystem of the terrapin turtle using a fun bingo game.  Campers will discover what they eat and who might eat them, as well as discuss human-related impacts on terrapin habitat, population, and reproduction.

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• Web of Life - All life is connected by the foods we consume and we explore different ecosystems down to the microscopic food source through this "pass the ball" game. Campers will also explore what happens when humans take too much from the ecosystem.