Seattle kids are easy to spot. They count harbor seals as friends and know how magical an orca sighting is, even if they’ve spotted them before. For kids missing the Sound, we’ve rounded up activities, virtual camps and live shows that are as engaging and as they are educational. Dive in!
Attend a Virtual Marine Biology Camp
Tune in to Ocean Initiative’s virtual Marine Biology Camp on Mondays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. via Facebook or Instagram. Here, kids can hear from two local scientists (who are also parents) about whales, dolphins, sharks and other animals that call Puget Sound home. Send questions your kids have to the team ahead of time, or post them live during the convo. There’s always something interesting to learn or fun to do when you tune in.
Sing a Whale Song
...or rather listen to our resident orcas on the Killer Wale Tales website. There are three cool clips to tune in to, plus fact sheets and an activity book you can download, all dedicated to the pods that live in local waters.
Sit Down for Orca Story Time
Invite your tots to listen to a whale of a tale live via Zoom, on April 24 and May 1 at 11 a.m. Rein from the Washington Environmental Council will share a different story each week for kids to enjoy.
Aquarium from Anywhere
Just because you can’t be there, doesn’t mean you can’t experience the Seattle Aquarium at home. Sift through the many coloring sheets, code breaker activities, virtual story times, marine science games and more to keep the kids engaged with this local fave. Psst… their livestream webcams are always a hit too.
Stream a Live Marine Science Show
Set your calendars for live STEM workshops on Mondays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. via Facebook, thanks to Gig Harbor based Harbor WildWatch. With a focus on local wildlife and waters, these workshops give kids the chance to ask questions and participate in easy experiments and activities at home.
Explore the Burke’s Beaked Whale
If your kids miss the impressive beaked whale that hangs from the ceiling at the Burke, they can get a look behind the scenes and find out how it was prepped and hung. Follow up this exploration with the Burke’s whale activity packet and shark hat craft and you’ve got your afternoon planned.
Print Out Activity Sheets
Pull out a few of these activity sheets courtesy of the Orca Research Trust and your kids will be entertained for hours. They’ve got story telling prompts, fact sheets, word searches, paper crafts and more, all geared for young kids looking to learn and have fun.
Spot Ocean Wildlife
Turns out that with WiFi you can pretty much go anywhere these days. So why not try to spot orcas with OrcaLab’s livestream? The cameras give six different views of Hanson Island up in B.C., an orca hotspot and also the home of OrcaLab.
—Allison Sutcliffe
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featured photo: Susie L. via yelp
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