As the Vice President of Save the Turtles, a non-profit organization committed to the protection of these endangered species, I have received many letters from kids who tell me they love sea turtles. They want to learn more about them and ask how they can help. I’ve concluded that just as sea turtles are attracted to the moon, kids are magnetically drawn to these ancient creatures. Some of our favorite and most creative donors have even been kids who–with parental or class supervision–have excelled in fundraising activities for our cause.
If any of this sounds like your grandchild, you might be just the one to encourage their budding interests. Who knows, you might have a little wildlife biologist on your hands? So what is the best way to help kids learn about protecting sea turtles?
First of all, make learning about conservation fun! A good place for children and pre-teens to begin this adventure would be with the conservation basics on our Ride the Turtle Education web page http://www.costaricaturtles.com/costa_new_edu.html Click on Interactive Learning Games to access our Sea Turtle Vocabulary Game (four levels). Your grandchildren will enjoy watching a turtle grow out of the shell when they get the answer correct (how cool is that?).
Next, have them discover our Kid Friendly Resources where we compiled a virtual library of links to online sea turtle learning activities. You may also wish to check out our extensive teacher resources, so you can help direct learning activities or perhaps use our creative writing prompts to collaborate on an amusing sea turtle story with your grandchild.
We at Save the Turtles believe that children’s natural attraction to sea turtles can be a perfect launching pad for further educational inspiration and that learning to care about protecting these animals can only expand a child’s capacity for compassion and caring about the world around them. www.costaricaturtles.org
