Field Trip: La Jolla Tide Pools, San Diego

My son is fascinated by sea life.   Right now he says he wants to be a Marine Biologist.  (Of course, earlier this year he wanted to be a chef, so we'll see if this one sticks.)  But regardless, living so close to the ocean there's plenty of opportunities to feed his interest.

We recently took a trip to the La Jolla tidepools, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.

 

 

The day was a little clowdy, but he didn't mind.   The spot was nice...plenty of deep tidepools, but also adjacent to some sandy beach areas that were better for swimming (no nearby bathrooms though).  

He brought his goggles and snorkel...a replaced birthday gift (the original one got lost on his FIRST trip to the beach with it.   Snorkels and waves do not mix!   But it was perfect for tidepool exploring).  

Before and after the trip we read the passages about tidepools in One Small Square:  Seashore by Donald Silver.   The "One Small Square books are some of my favorite for learning about different habitats.   They include activities, but we didn't do any this time because we were meeting with some other homeschoolers and I wanted my son to be free to play and explore without direction.   But the book built up ideas for the trip and gave us some great ways to talk about it and learn from what he'd seen.


(DISCLOSURE:  Above are affiliate links through which I can earn commission.)

If you're in the San Diego area and want to visit this particular spot on the beach, it's at 321 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA.

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Field Trip: Seals in San Diego

So, we recently moved from Waco, Texas to San Diego, California.  I grew up in California, and it's nice to be back.  One of the best things is being so close to the ocean.  While it's a little cold for swimming right now we had a great time going to visit the seals at Children's Pool (no pool...it's just a beach that's called that where seals come when they are pupping...which I've read is Dec. 15 to May 15).

Here's some pics we got while we were down there....

Yes, yes that is a football next to that seal...

And here's a video of all the cute stuff we caught the seals doing...
(with commentary by my three boys)

These seals are Pacific Harbor Seals.   They are just one of the many seals and sea lions that can be found in California. 

And, if you've ever wondered  how to tell seals from sea-lions, there's a good guide here including a coloring page you can print:  How to Tell Sea Lions from Seals

At Children's Pool humans are not allowed to go down on the beach while the seals are pupping, but when seals come up on other beaches people can cause them real problems.   So if you are lucky enough to see a seal with pups on a non-restricted beach, give it some space, because mother seals sometimes abandon their baby seals if they are scared by humans surrounding them (and if humans pet the baby seals, the human smell can also cause them to abandon their pups). 

Seagulls however, are another matter.
(They're just as likely to harass humans as vice versus).


Not to leave them out, my eldest caught this shot.   He's still new enough to California to be amazed at getting close to a seagull...I'm not gonna kill the wonder.   And I like the shot he captured.

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