Preschool Explorers Celebrate International Horseshoe Crab Day
Reflections by Naturalist & Walk Leader Andrea Higgins
Photos courtesy of HCT Volunteer Photographer Gerry Beetham
Preschool Explorers and their caregivers gathered at Jackknife Cove for our special International Horseshoe Crab Day adventure! Families gathered around a large blanket covered with a variety of children’s books about horseshoe crabs, exploring the beach, tides, and marshes. Alongside the books, I also arranged a large horseshoe crab molt, a globe, and a variety of props to teach about this amazing living fossil.
First, I taught some fun facts about this ancient mariner, then I brought out two live horseshoe crabs that I found just before our adventure: one male and one female. Each Explorer and caregiver took turns gently touching the carapace and we discussed why you should never hold a horseshoe crab by its tail (telson). I pointed out the location of the horseshoe crab’s heart, explained some of the ways they use their claws as tools, and shared lots of stories and facts.
Together we walked the male and female back to the water’s edge and paused to wish them well after thanking them for the lessons they taught us today. HCT Explorers lined up and each one of them sweetly placed a tender kiss on the horseshoe crab before we returned it to the water. I thanked our preschoolers for being such kind and caring budding naturalists and felt such a sincere hope for the future as our Explorers gentle care seems to come so effortlessly and naturally.
Together we strolled along the beach and discovered green crabs, hermit crabs, quahog shells, soft shell clams, beautiful rocks and stones, a spider crab, scallop shells, and slipper shells. After our beach exploration we ventured back to our information station for a reading of Crab Moon, a children’s picture book by Ruth Horowitz. This book was selected by the National Science Teachers Association as an outstanding science book for children in 2001.
The craft for the day involved designing horseshoe crabs from recycled cardboard tubes and small boxes to create upcycled artwork! We followed up our creativity session with some movement to get our zoomies out. Pretending to be horseshoe crabs, we crawled, sauntered, strolled, and ran along the beach, journeying to the jetty, then circling around along the water’s edge. Huge smiles stretched across the youngsters’ sweet faces as we played together during the first full day of summer and celebrated this awesome animal that we share beautiful Cape Cod with.
Before wishing our Preschool Explorers an excellent day and amazing summer, I gifted them each with 3 large beach scene pictures depicting tidal zones and seashore life to color at home.
I look forward to seeing you again as our summer adventures continue on Mondays, beginning in July with our Ecosystem Explorers program. Preschool Explorers will resume in the fall on Tuesday mornings from 9-10:30 a.m. for continued exploration of a variety of Preserves in Harwich and surrounding towns.
Happy Exploring!
Smiles,
Ms. Andrea
