Kids Explore Narrows Bay at Sea Creatures Discovery Day

Teaching little ones to care for the environment, the Kids-N-Sea Creatures Exploration Day program provides an opportunity to discover crabs, fish and other life forms in Narrows Bay on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The meetup for this free, 90-minute program is at 10 a.m. at Lawrence Creek Beach on Riviera Drive.

Mastic Beach Conservancy has offered Kids-N-Sea Creatures for several years to spark discovery that shapes young minds.

“We really believe involving children at this age gives them both knowledge about what they are experiencing in their neighborhood and the excitement to care about it,” Operations Manager Christie Jones said. “The excitement of seeing a baby crab or a small fish at a young age, this really made an impression on me and now this is the work I do.”

Educators from Seatuck Environmental Association will use a seine net to drag the bottom of the bay for little critters that kids can then observe in a bucket. For some children, said Jones, this is their first venture to the water, “so this is a really exciting experience for them to connect with what’s growing right in the water and an opportunity for them to learn from environmentalists about their local area.”

Unless it pours, the event will take place, and families can prepare with sunscreen, bug spray and water shoes if available. “Last year, we had a little bit of drizzle, and the kids still loved it,” Jones said.

The program, for which no registration is needed, is geared toward children ages 3 and up.

Mastic Beach Conservancy is on a mission to protect the waterfront on the Mastic Peninsula and establish a trail system that connects local parks. “The fact that we have a publicly accessible waterfront is really a rare thing,” Jones said.