Sharing Your Stories Helps Kids Fall in Love

Reading with your child and coloring beach scenes are great ways to help your kids learn to love the oceans, but there are lots of other things you can do as well. Here is one of my favorites.

Tell your children stories about your favorite beach memories. Was it swimming with your dad at sunset? Did you see a dolphin jump so high one day? Is your story about the sea shells you collected one morning just as the sun was coming up? Maybe it was simply waking up to the sound of the waves? These vivid and happy memories will help kids learn more about you, which they will love, and illustrate why keeping our oceans and beaches healthy is important.

One of my favorite beach tales is about making mobiles with my Uncle Jimmy, an art teacher from Philadelphia (so exotic to me!). He, my older sister, and I spent the morning strolling the beach and collecting small pieces of driftwood. Then, after lunch, we made beautiful driftwood mobiles from hooks, eyes, and fishing line to hang in our rooms at home. What a way to remember our fabulous beach vacation every day!

Another one is about staying with my Uncle Jimmy (clearly a star in my book!) at his beach house one summer. It was on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. One night, Jimmy took us to the beach to find sea turtles. We quietly filed down the steps to the sand and water below. Under the moonlight, we walked on the beach wading in the waves, gazing at the starry sky, and searching for sea turtles coming ashore to build their nests. We did not find any that night, which was probably for the best, but it was a magical adventure nonetheless.

What are some of the ways you help kids learn to love the ocean? Email us at SeaPals@SunsetBeachBooks.com to let us know. We’ll highlight your ideas in future blog posts.