What Beach Vacations Can Teach Kids About…Gardening

Whether you read this before a spring, summer, or other family vacation to an idyllic ocean destination, there are adolescent learning experiences to be had about gardening.

Wait, gardening?

While you’re certainly familiar with other lessons regarding the ocean and sustainability, drawing a line between the sea and planting seeds in soil is harder to see. How can the two be tied together in a manner that doesn’t feel forced, much less make sense? Read ahead to find out!

Tips: Do some online homework prior to departure on your next family beach vacation to discover which of the below (or others) are natural to the ocean environment. Commit related photos/images to memory, outfit everyone with snorkel equipment, and get ready to explore!

Fun Ways to Connect Your Family’s Next Beach (ocean) Vacation to Sustainable Gardening Concepts

I. Introduce Your Kids to the Ocean Garden

Reef Ocean Learning Experiences Gardening

Whether you peek under the saltwater surfaces that line the beaches of Tofino BC, Cavendish PEI, or the North Shore of Oahu HI, there is a garden growing on the ocean floor. The reef is teeming with healthy foods beyond fish and crustaceans. They are crops as much as any that grow in the biodiverse backyard and community gardens of Canada, and as such, serve as sustenance to supplement diets of coastal peoples. In discovering these underwater crops, your kids will learn lessons about the sea-to-table process and the importance of conservation and promotion of sustainable food-growing environments. While there are thousands upon thousands of species, the Smithsonian Ocean Institute indicates that the most common and highly nutritious “fruits and veggies” from the ocean floor include the following:

Kelp: Kelp is a type of large and leafy brown algae that form dense forests/gardens close to shore. Kelp is considered a superfood that is rich in essential nutrients, namely iodine in addition to Vitamins A, B, C, E, K along with minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and antioxidants. Kelp is often used in cooking stir-fries, soups, and in the preparation of seaweed salads.

Salicornia: Also known the sea bean or sea asparagus, salicornia is a flowering succulent with branching stalks and often resemble a thick and rotund grass. It is rich in Vitamins A, C, D, and B3 along with magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and a variety of antioxidants. This ocean-vegetable’s stalks have a similar crunch and snap to green beans or asparagus (ergo the nicknames above) from the garden and are well served lightly sautéed with butter and herbs.

Dulse: This is a red alga with leafy, red fronds that make is similar to lettuce in appearance and texture. Its nutrient profile includes iodine, potassium, and protein. Dulse can be a great ingredient for seaweed salads and side dishes, but when dried and seasoned it takes on a flavor that is not dissimilar to bacon.

Nori: Nori is actually a very well-known edible seaweed in coastal communities. It is a red algae that is commonly used to wrap sushi and appreciated not only for its flavor profile, but for nutrients that include Vitamins A, C, and B along with iodine, calcium, iron, fiber, and perhaps most notably – omega 3 fatty acids.

Irish Moss: Also referred to as sea moss, this underwater veggie represents yet another group of red algae species. It is a good source of iodine, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and E. Given that the more commonly consumed species contain a large amount of carrageen (a compound that thickens to a jelly when cooked) is can be used to create unique and tasty puddings when flavored accordingly.

Sea Purslane: Sea purslane is a flowering succulent. With a nutrient profile that is similar to its cousins above, it is high in Vitamins A, C, AND B complex and also includes minerals such as magnesium, iron, calcium, manganese, and potassium in addition to containing bioavailable protein and dietary fiber. It is often consumed raw, cooked, or pickled.

II. Meet the Ewwy Gooey Beneficial Bugs of the Sea

We frequently discuss the biodiversity concept of beneficial bugs (common and uncommon) which are critical to pollinating and/or protecting gardens throughout Canada and North America. The intent is to teach kids to look at insects and what many consider to be pests in a different way, and to understand how important they are to the environment and survival of the human species. Well, it should come as no surprise to find that there are creatures in the sea that make a large proportion of people feel freaked-out, grossed-out, and uncomfortable, that are equally essential to ocean and earth conservation.

While there may be countless sea creatures to use as a reference from the known 2.2 million species in our oceans, the following are quite commonly discovered in destinations that Canadian households frequently travel to. Resist the urge to squirm, inspect the images below, and get to identify the following on your next family vacay to the ocean.

Sea Cucumbers

What Beach Vacations Can Teach Kids About Gardening

They may be gag-inducing but sea cucumbers play a vital role in marine ecosystems. They cling to the reef and act as “janitors” of the sea by cleaning sediment, recycling nutrients, and even helping to protect coral reefs from disease and the effects of ocean acidification. So they next time you and your kids see them clung to the reef or tide pool rocks, be sure to smile and give them a thumbs-up instead of running the other way!

Eels

This may be shocking to learn, but eels have unfairly been labelled as the ocean’s electro-cutioners. While they do produce electricity using specialized cells called electrocytes within their bodies, they are generally not aggressive towards humans and attacks are rare unless provoked. What they do commonly do, is play a vital ecological role in both a predatory and prey capacity, in supporting freshwater mussel populations, and in contributing to the overall health and balance of aquatic ecosystems. As long as you don’t poke them, your family can appreciate and enjoy the sight of an eel when lucky enough to spot one winding its way along the reef.

Jellyfish

OK, so jellyfish may look way cooler than the other beneficial (but creepy) sea critters above BUT due to their ability to sting they incite fear the hearts of many in the same way as bees and wasps do to garden visitors. But like with bees and wasps, jellies also serve an important purpose in preserving the ocean and Mother Earth. This spans beyond being food for sea turtles and a variety of other species. The Marine Conservation Society reports that jellyfish assist with nutrient cycling in the ocean. They do so as they drift through different layers of the water column, transporting nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous through the sea. These nutrients are then recycled and used by other marine organisms for growth and survival.

Sand Fleas

Image source: Wiki Commons

How can anything called a “sand flea” be beneficial to any person, place, or thing? While they are a bothersome bunch to any family who lays down their towel to soak up some Vitamin D, sand fleas serve an important ecological benefit when darting and hopping around. They are effective scavengers who consume decaying seaweed and other organic matter, which helps recycle nutrients back into the ocean and beach environment.

Mole Crabs

Image source: Wiki Commons

Emerita is a small genus of decapod crustaceans, known as mole crabs. Unlike “traditional” crabs that most kids think are cute, these things look like monsters that have been shrunken down to the size of a pinky tip, although they can be as big as big toes. Despite the disturbing appearance, they are vital to sandy beach ecosystems as herbivores, forming a key link in the food web. They are also prey for various animals, contributing to overall ecosystem health and nutrient cycling. While us grownups get skittish around them, most kids have a blast running their fingers through the sand to uncover the mole crabs which reside inconspicuously just a centimeter deep in the sand.