♪♪♪
TYLER: PERCHED ALONGSIDE THE
RESTLESS PACIFIC OCEAN IS THE
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM...
♪♪♪
BESIDES A MAJOR TOURIST
ATTRACTION,
IT'’S ALSO REGARDED AS A GLOBAL
LEADER IN OCEAN RESEARCH
AND CONSERVATION.
Child: Oh my gosh!
Katy: The Monterey Bay Aquarium
from its founding has really
valued education.
And so we have a really large
education division.
Teacher: Yeah, we eat different
foods alright.
TYLER: SINCE 1984, THE AQUARIUM
HAS BEEN OFFERING EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS IN
PRESCHOOL THROUGH 12TH GRADE...
PROVIDING EVERYTHING
FROM AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
TO GUIDED FIELD TRIPS
Katy: They would get a
facilitated experience
that was about an hour long,
where they
get to interact with animals, do
some really cool science, and
then they'’d be able to explore
the aquarium on their own.
[Girl laughs]
Katy: All of our
education programs are free
because we don'’t want that to be
a barrier for students accessing
the aquarium.
TYLER: BUT ALL OF THAT CHANGED
IN MARCH 2020
KION News Segment: We'’re back
with a special news report.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one
the most recognized tourist
attractions in the country but
even they are not immune to the
pandemic and now hoping for a
better tomorrow.
TYLER: THE AQUARIUM WAS FORCED
TO CLOSE ITS DOORS TO VISITORS.
BUT THE STAFF CONTINUES TO CARRY
ON THE INSTITUTE'’S MISSION
Katy: What we knew was that we
wanted to continue connecting
with students and we wanted to
continue engaging with students
TYLER: KATY SCOTT HAS BEEN THE
FORCE BEHIND BUILDING THE
AQUARIUM'’S ROBUST ONLINE
CURRICULUM - AND HAS MADE IT
POSSIBLE FOR STUDENTS TO
EXPERIENCE THE AQUARIUM FROM
THEIR HOMES, BY PROVIDING ONLINE
COURSES AND VIRTUAL TOURS
Katy: Teachers can sign up for a
field trip, via our website
and their students and get a
45 minute zoom session live
with an educator.
So my name is Katy and
I'’m a teacher at Monterey Bay
aquarium and I'’m so excited to
have you here today.
TYLER: ON THIS DAY, FOURTH
GRADERS FROM ROCKLIN UNIFIED
SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE
PARTICIPATING IN A VIRTUAL FIELD
TRIP LED BY KATY, AND HER
COLLEAGUE, CORINA...
Corina: Zach would
you like to share?
Zach: The hermit crab has a
shell protecting it.
Zack: I liked all of it.
It was super cool and learning
these new creatures that I had
no idea that you could
even find in tide pools.
Katy: If you touch a sea
cucumber,
it feels like playdough.
Those spikes are not hard at
all. They'’re squishy.
Student: That is going to gross
my mom out.
Katy: (laughs) I bet, yes.
Katy: We'’ve also started to
offer online courses for
students from preschool to 12th
grade.
Katy: They're also designed to
get kids thinking about the
outdoors and if possible going
into the outdoors.
Instructor: Now that you'’ve
practiced your sea otter
observing skills, it'’s time to
use them.
Have fun observing otter
spotters.
Student: I see a dove!
Katy: Maybe they'’re going into
their backyard or if they don't
have a backyard, maybe they're
taking a walk around our
neighborhood and they're looking
for animals in that space,
whether they be birds or ants or
anything.
And they're taking data on those
animals that they find.
We'’re asking students to think
like scientists and do the same
types of things scientists do.
Katy: Can you hold
up your illustrations
so I can see what
you drew there?
Oh! Naomi'’s got two views.
Whoo!
Y'’all are some good scientific
illustrators.
Rebecca: They really bring it
down to a very cohesive
level for the students to maybe
be able to understand some
pretty complex concepts about
science and conservation.
Katy: Climate change is
definitely a challenge.
That'’s a challenge for animals
wherever they live, right?
Rebecca: Conservation is
extremely important for I
believe my students to learn
because they'’re really
our legacy.
TYLER: AND THAT MESSAGE IS
GETTING ACROSS TO STUDENTS
Zack: If you just like sit
around and watching
the ecosystem getting destroyed
it just basically
destroys earth.
Naomi: We were going to go on a
field trip to the Monterey Bay
aquarium and like stay overnight
but since coronavirus came, we
couldn'’t. So I liked that I get
to know how it is now.
Katy: Does anybody know the
science name when we'’re talking
about body parts and behaviors
that help someone survive
in the wild?
Student: Adaptations.
Katy: Adaptations!
Brilliant. Yes.
Rebecca: I think the silver
lining in all of this is that
it is empowering for students to
know that we can adapt and to be
resilient, to be flexible.
You know children will learn
that there'’s where there'’s a
will, there'’s a way.
And don'’t we want our students
to all have that idea that we
don'’t give up?
And that'’s really what science
is also also about.
That we never give up.
Katy: We're all going through a
shared trauma right now.
This is really difficult times
and what we know is connecting
with animals and connecting with
nature makes us feel better.
And so, especially at this time,
if we can offer content that
makes those students feel a
little bit better, that
this is going to be okay.
I think that'’s really important
right now.
Katy: Well it was great meeting
you all today.
I hope you had a fun time.
Hopefully we will be open again
and soon and you will be able to
come back and visit us.
Thank you so much.
Student: Bye!
Katy: Bye!
Zach: Bye.
Christina: The Monterey Bay
Aquarium now offers 13 online
courses to schools and students
all over the world.
More than 40,000 people have
enrolled in the courses from
93 different countries.