Camper Chronicles Week 8 / Day 5

The last day of Aquarium summer camp was a sad day for the campers and the staff. The summer was filled with awesome activities and stellar campers. Thank you to all the campers that made Camper Chronicles possible and those that have followed Camper Chronicles, stay tuned for next year when the fun returns!
Chyanne, “My favorite part was feeding and taking care of the animals, but my most favorite was learning about them.”

Cameron, “My favorite part was feeding dead rats to the snakes.”

Alana, “My favorite part of camp was canoeing out to Zeke’s Island, swimming in the swimming holes, and hanging out with my friends.”

Eason, “My favorite part of camp this week was going canoeing because we got to swim in the little hole and our canoe got their first.”

Morgan, “My favorite thing about this week was being able to feed all of the animals and learning what they like to eat.”

Abby, “My favorite part of the week was making all of these new friends.”

Kirra, “My favorite thing about camp this week was going to Zeke’s Island in canoes. We got to swim in the water.”

Harris, “I liked seeing giant clams and touching the animals.”

Ashley, “My favorite thing this week was feeding and taking care of the animals.”

Kylee, “My favorite part of this week was going crabbing and feeding the animals.”

Rob, “My favorite thing I did this week was feeding the animals.”

Hannah, “I loved feeding all the animals. My favorite was the frogs!”

Preston, “My favorite thing about camp this week was getting to shadow the Aquarist and getting to see what they do daily.”

Sarah, “My favorite thing about being at camp this week was seeing everything behind the scenes, feeding the baby seahorses, and learning about dolphins.”

George, “My favorite thing was playing with my friends.”

Camper Chronicles Week 8 / Day 4

On the fourth day of Animal Keeper summer camp the kids helped feed the Aquarium animals. The campers also learned about the life cycle of several animals that call the Aquarium home. Here is what they had to say.

Ashley, “Today I learned that they feed frozen mice to their snakes!”

Cameron, “I learned that snake’s food has to be dry.”

Kylee, “I learned the life cycle of a jellyfish, and I learned about animal training.”

Abby, “Today I learned that giant clams feel really mushy. I had a great time.”

Alana, “Today I learned that seahorses enjoy eating shrimp, and that when giant clams try to close up their skin goes all bumpy!”

Harris, “Shark teeth get black faster in the ocean than in captivity. I also learned that female stingrays are bigger than males.”

Chyanne, “I learned that giant clams are very squishy and bubbly.”

Kirra, “Today I learned about alligators and how they train them!! One thing to go to train them is have them touch a target.”

Eason, “I learned that the shorter jellyfish tentacles are, the less they hurt.”

Morgan, “Today I learned what box turtles eat. They like carrots, grapes, tomatoes, and lots of other vegetables.”

Hannah, “Box turtles are really sweet and shy!”

Preston, “I learned that clams are very, very squishy. I thought they were rough and hard.”

Rob, “What I learned today was that box turtles are stubborn.”

George, “Box turtles are stubborn and also love to eat.”

Sarah, “Today I learned that snakes eat their prey head first.”

Camper Chronicles Week 8 / Day 3

Day three of animal keeper camp was a blast for the campers! Enjoy.

Abby, “The best part of the day was the snakes I pet.”

Harris, “My favorite thing I did today was I got to see seahorses eat food. Also I got to see a giant clam.”

Chyanne, “My favorite part about today was making sand art and swimming at the beach, I also liked holding a green snake.”

Kirra, “My favorite part of the day was feeding the seahorses. They ate frozen food. My other favorite part was feeding the other fish!!”

Eason, “The thing I liked best today was when I had blood worms in my hand and then the fish nibbled them off my fingers.”

Cameron, “My favorite part was feeding the fish.”

Morgan, “Today I got to feed some different kinds of turtles.”

Ashley, “My favorite part of the day was swimming at the beach with my friends! Also feeding the tanks.”

Kylee, “My favorite part of today was going over the waves and getting knocked down by them.”

Rob, “My favorite thing I did today was feed the turtles.”

Alana, “My favorite part of the day was playing at the beach with my friends. I also enjoyed holding a snake.”

George, “My favorite part was watching the baby alligators and feeding the frogs. “

Hannah, “I loved the beach! It was so much fun!”

Preston, “The best part of the day was going to the beach.”

Sarah, “My favorite part of today was swimming at the beach.”

Camper Chronicles Week 8 / Day 2

Day two of Animal Keeper camp was a day filled with beach fun! The campers hung out at the beach all morning, and afterwards learned how to take care of animals that reside at the Aquarium. Here is what they had to say.

Avery, “My favorite part was swimming.”

Aquarist Sarah, “I liked feeding the baby seahorses and seeing the clownfish exhibit from the top. Did you know that seahorses eat brine shrimp, which are the critters we all “sea monkeys”?”

Abby, “I think that feeding the animals is great. My favorite part was cutting and preparing the food. It was great.”

Eason, “The thing I liked about being an Aquarist was that you get to see how different it is behind the scenes then it is when you’re a visitor.”

Harris, “I liked that I learned a lot about octopus, like that they can fit through anything this is the size of their beak.”

Rob, “My favorite part about being a keeper is taking care of the snakes.”

Hannah, “The thing I liked the most was that we got to hold a snake, also that we got to “play””

Ashley, “Being an Aquarist is so much fun you see things other people can’t! You feed and take care of all the animals. Thanks, it’s so cool!”

Kylee, “My favorite part about being a keeper is that I saw a jellyfish eat and they throw shrimp in an octopus tank.”

George, “My favorite part was holding the snake and letting it slither all over me, and feeding the poison dart frogs fruit flies.”

Chyanne, “I liked making gel food and feeding one of the exhibits fish and gel food.”

Alana, “The thing I liked about being an Aquarist today was chopping up the fish. I also enjoyed feeding the fish and watching them swarm around food.”

Morgan, “One thing I liked about being an Aquarist was that I got to find dart frogs, they were all hiding.”

Preston, “The thing I liked about being an Aquarist is I got to help prepare food and feed it to the animals.”

Kirra, “My favorite part about being an Aquarist was getting to feed the octopus shrimp.”

Cameron, “My favorite part was that I got to feed the animals.”

Camper Chronicles Week 8 / Day 1

Camper Chronicles is coming to an end since this week is the last week of summer camp at the Aquarium. On the first day of camp the campers spent the day at the salt marsh, as well as learned the beginning steps to becoming an Aquarist. Here is what they had to say.

Ashley, “Today I learned that you have to wash my hands before and after you handle your animals.”

Abby, “Animal keeping is a very serious job. It is also very fun. Here at the Aquarium there are many animals to take care of. The workers here are doing a great job.”

Hannah, “I learned that it takes a lot more than just feeding the animals. It takes time and dedication. You also need to care about the animals.”

Harris, “When you design a habitat for an animal it has to switch its properties. Also it has to have enough food for all of the animals in it.”

Kylee, “I learned that turtles need vegetables, fruit, and worms, and that the males are mean when they eat.”

Alana, “I learned that being an animal keeper it is important to never feed the animals too much, or too little. It’s also important to know what type of food to feed them.”

Kirra, “Today we learned about being an animal keeper. We went to the salt marsh and learned how to crab fish.

Chyanne, “I learned that they keep the newly caught fish in quarantine for one month to help it get used to captivation. Also the shark won’t eat for two weeks while getting used to captivation.”

Sarah, “Today I learned that Aquarists have to wash their hands every time they touch a snake, even if they are getting ready to touch snakes of the same kind.”

Preston, “I learned that being an animal keeper takes a lot of work, but in the end, it all pays off.”

Cameron, “You need to lock up even the smallest animals or they will escape. I also learned if you’re aggressive to an animal it will be aggressive back. “

Morgan, “Today I learned what to feed seahorses and how much they should be fed. “

Avery, “Aquarist have to wash their hands because they don’t want to pass germs to another animal.”

George, “It doesn’t take much food to feed a fish, especially the small ones.”

Eason, “I learned that if you put two male box turtles beside each other they will get ugly.”

Camper Chronicles Week 7 / Day 5

The last day of animal keeper camp was a sad day for the campers. They reminisced about their week long adventure and their favorite activities. Here is what they had to say.

Shelby, “The best part of camp was shadowing an Aquarist.”

Mady, “The last day. My favorite part of camp was when we got to talk to the diver in the tank and when we went to the beach. “

Conner, “I loved two great things about camp, cleaning a fish tank and talking to the diver.”

Sarah, “I loved holding the mud snake and talking to the diver.”

Quentin, “The best part of camp overall was the beach.”

Jacob, “The best part of keeper camp would either be going to Zeke’s Island (traveling by canoe) or shadowing Aquarists. I loved feeding the animals and paddling to the island.”

Andrew, “This camp was really fun and great. We went to the beach and got a pizza party. We learned a lot and we had fun.”

Kirstyn, “I love camp! It has been so much fun. Everything we have done has been filled with action packed awesomeness! I LOVE THIS CAMP!”

Haley, “Overall, my favorite part of camp was canoeing to Zeke’s Island and going to the touch tank. I think this is an awesome camp.”

Kristin, “My favorite part of this week was meeting Jenny, Andy, and all my new friends.”

Gabrielle, “My favorite part overall was the pizza party, watching a shark come in, and canoeing.”

Alex, “My favorite part was the pizza party.”

Camper Chronicles Week 7/ Day 3

Day three of Animal Keeper camp may have been a bit blustery, but it was worth it! After a canoe trip to Zeke’s Island, the campers went behind the scenes to help Aquarists feed the animals. Here is what they had to say.

Mady, “The most interesting thing I did today was get to see and touch a shark that they just caught in the river. It was so amazing and interesting.”

Conner, “We fed fish, turtles, lizards, and snakes today. We canoed to Zeke’s Island. “

Haley, “The most interesting thing I did today was canoeing because once we got to the island we got to go swimming. In certain spots it was really deep and then sometimes you were on a sandbar. It was awesome.”

Jacob, “Today at keeper’s camp we canoed to Zeke’s Island and played in the water. I caught two hermit crabs and released them. My sister caught three. I also liked shadowing an Aquarist; we fed turtles, frogs, and newts.”

Chase, “The most interesting thing I did today was canoeing because I was with Tom and we beat everyone else to the island. “

Shelby, “The most interesting thing I did today was play with Wilson the duck because he was molting.”

Gabrielle, “My favorite thing about the day was when I saw them carrying in a sandbar shark from the river! It was so cool, and we got to pet it. “

Sarah, “I fed a girl diamond back turtle gelatin stuff and fish bodies. “

Hannah, “An interesting thing I did today was see the first out of five female sharks. It was a sandbar shark.”

Remy, “Remy here. I think the most interesting thing today was Zeke’s Island. What was cool was the swimming; the holes where so deep nobody could touch the bottom. “

Kristen, “The most interesting thing I did today was we saw them carry a sandbar shark in from the river. We also got to pet it.”

Andrew, “I didn’t know that some turtles have long nails.”

Alex, “The most interesting thing that I did was feed a snapping turtle because it was cool.”

Quentin, “The most interesting thing I did today was crab fishing. “

Kirstyn, “Today I saw baby alligators; I fed the amphibians, canoed, and swam in brackish water. I had a wonderful day. I love camp!”

Stay tuned for tomorrow!

Camper Chronicles: Week 7/ Day 1

Camper Chronicles is back! After a brief hiatus, a new group of summer campers are back as guest bloggers. This week’s theme is Animal Keepers, which focuses on teaching the children how the Aquarium takes care of our animals. Here is what they had to say. Enjoy!

Jacob, “At keepers camp on August 3rd, 2009 I learned about quarantining and curing reptiles. We watched them tag a female turtle, and give a snake medicine for internal parasites. We also learned about designing a tank, David, another worker, explained about his job as a cage designer.”

Hannah, “My name is Hannah, and on Monday at camp I learned how to feed fish and how to design a cage. I actually got to feed fish in an exhibit, how cool!! The workers fed seahorses, and said they were sea monkeys. I never knew that! Thank you!”

Remy, “My group learned how the aquarists fed the animals and how they make their food. The Bur fish looked a lot like Porcupine fish. The baby seahorses had to be put in different tanks, oldest to youngest.”

Mady, “Being an aquarist is a hard job; you have to make sure the animals have enough food and not too much food. You have to feed fish and help release them. We also got to go crabbing at the salt marsh.”

Haley, “As we helped out the aquarists with the animals, we fed the fish in the Raven Rock tank chopped fish and a special vitamin food. The Sturgeons, Shiners, and Catfish had the smaller chunks. Sturgeons can actually live up to 70 years in age. “

Gabrielle, “I learned that if you are an Aquarist you have to feed the fish called zoo plankton. Also we fed the fish menhaden and stuff that looked like little shrimp. That’s what I learned about being an Aquarist. “

Kirstyn, “When you are an aquarist you have to know about the animal you are caring for. Being an aquarist takes hard work, but it can be fun. It is a huge responsibility. Even though being an aquarist is hard work, it is really cool to go behind the scenes. This is an awesome privilege.”

Shelby, “While helping the aquarist we had the opportunity to feed the fish in the Raven Rock tank and also prepare the food. We fed them cut fish and specialized gel.”

Jacob, “Today I learned being an Aquarist is not easy. You have to find the animals and give them special tags that you read with a cool machine. “

Chase, “I learned that you have to go through a training camp to handle venomous snakes (that would not be my preferred career choice).”

Conner, “I got to work with the seahorses today. There were babies and adults. We chopped up fish and squid to feed the fish, and a puffer fish and a turtle ate from our fingers. We went crabbing and caught sea life to put in a tank. “

Alex, “I learned how to feed fish. “

Sarah, “I learned that different seahorses eat different food. Smaller seahorses eat smaller stuff and bigger seahorses get bigger stuff. “

Camper Chronicles: Week Four / Day 1

Ocean Explorer (ages 10-12) campers at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher enjoyed their first day of "Circle of Life" themed camp. Here, they blog about their day:

Yasmine: "The funniest thing that happened today is when Ashley put seaweed in my hair."

Charles: "The funniest thing that happened today was when my foot hit a crab and I jumped 6 feet out of the water."

Camden: "The funniest thing that happened today was I was walking in the marsh and fell in a hole. And I kissed a crab too."

Ashley: "Today I kissed a fish and a crab today, it was so funny! I also put seaweed on Yasmine's head and took a pic!"

Stay tuned for day two...wonder what they will do??

Camper Chronicles: Day Two

Summer campers at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher are learning much, meeting new friends and having fun! Below are their day two blog entries.

Rachel: "The best part of today was canoeing to Zeke's Island. I got to be on the front of the canoe and killed myself rowing in the heat. On the island, we swam and saw a little shark.

Ashley: "The height of my day was that we saw a cute baby shark on Zeke's Island. It couldn't have been more than a week old!"

Teddy: "The best part of the day was when we used our sense of smell to see what kind of jelly bean we are eating."

Maddie: "My favorite part of the day was when we went canoeing and swam at Zeke's Island. We swam in the tide pools and saw a baby shark. It was awesome."

Max: "On the 2nd day of camp, we made snakes out of toilet paper rolls. I had a lot of fun making mine with feathers and crazy designs."

Melissa: "The most fun thing that happened to me today was when we did the jellybean activity. It was so fun to do and it was very, very funny."

Ben: "The coolest thing that happened was that we caught a shark and let it go."

Spencer: "The best thing that happened today was practicing our taste by eating jellybeans."

Camper Chronicles: Day One

Summer camp is under way at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher, and the kids are all smiles. The second week of camp began on Monday with an inside day full of fun! This year instead of journal time, the Ocean Explorers, ages 10-12, will be guest authors on the blog. Each day they are asked to write a few sentences about their day or experience…we hope you enjoy Camper Chronicles!

Teddy wrote, “Today I saw the coolest thing. In the conservatory there is an Albino Alligator.”

Maddie wrote, “The funniest thing that happened to me today was when we went to meet Wilson the Wood Duck. I was kind of scared when she told us that we were going to be feeding him. I was sitting down and suddenly he ran at me and chased me.”

Ben wrote, “What I think about summer camp. I really like it here at summer, especially Luna the Albino Alligator.”

Melissa wrote, “My favorite activity in summer camp was when we met Wilson the Wood Duck. He ate out of my hand and pecked me! It was so funny!”

Rachel wrote, “The funniest thing that happened today was when we went blue crab fishing at the saltwater marsh. When I was pulling in the rig I fell forward, but I put my hands forward before I landed in the mud. The mud was so black that it could be ink.”

Spencer wrote, “The best thing that happened today was having popsicles.”

Max wrote, “On the first day of camp I saw many amazing animals. My two favorites were Luna the albino alligator, and Wilson the Wood Duck. We got a sticker from Luna, and we got to feed Wilson out of our hands.”

Stay tuned for more fun filled quotes written by the Ocean Explorers on the Camper Chronicles.