The Ocean Planet	The Art of Motion	Sea People	Sea Shopping

Have you ever wondered where the ocean begins?  Is it at the end of the road or in a far away land where you’ve never been?   Perhaps you’d like to join your friends at the Mathews Memorial Library in July for an exciting summer adventure to learn more about our ocean planet. 

A very special neighbor, Belinda Blowfish, will be your guide through her underwater universe and introduce you to fantastic and strange creatures that, hidden beneath the waves, live in the watery deep.  Some like the blue whale, the dolphin or the sea turtle are familiar while others such as giant jelly fish, humpback anglerfish or the blobfish, you may have never known existed.  IF you choose to join Belinda at the Lemonade Lectures each Tuesday and follow her on Discovery Day visits to Nauticus, the Virginia Aquarium and the Mariners Museum, you will have a totally immersing experience while you learn about the ocean and the creatures that live in it.

Sea people who sail the briny deep will also be a part of your summer adventure.  Whether taking a peril-filled sail over uncharted waters or a trip to the beach, we are all sea people.  Listening to seafarers and visiting the Mariner’s Museum will show how dependent we are on the sea.  You will learn about fishermen, lobstermen, whalers and people from history and many other cultures that have spent their lives on the seas and oceans of our planet.  

Our last adventure will be a trip on the final day of the program to where “the sea meets the shore.”  This adventure will include a picnic lunch and an opportunity to do some “shopping” for treasures that have washed up from the sea.  Searching along the shore may net unusual shells, sea glass, or some other item to be placed in your treasure box that you will have made during Creative Activities.

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week during July will be devoted to young people between the ages of 6 and 14.  In addition to Lemonade Lectures on Tuesdays and Discovery Days on Fridays, each Thursday you will have an opportunity interpret through projects and hands on activities what you have seen and learned.   Wednesdays are reserved for “Tales to be Told” for pre-schoolers through kindergarten who will also get to meet Belinda Blowfish and hear stories centering on themes associated with our Nautical Neighbors.

Scheduled activities will be held each day between 10:00 a.m. and noon, unless otherwise noted.  Lemonade and cookies will be served after each program except when a field trip requires lunch.

Registration is required, along with parental approval for all Discovery Day events.  Children who do not attend the Lemonade Lecture but who wish to join in the field trip on Friday will be asked to cover the cost of their admission. Otherwise, participation in all activities is available at no charge.