We own at least half a dozen books about sharks. Add to that a few t-shirts and even a custom pair of shark print shorts. Then throw in the ocean-themed educational videos on Macaroni Kid National's fabulous sponsor Epic! that get watched almost daily. All of these combined equals my shark loving - and shark smart - seven year old. Needless to say, when I told her the New England Aquarium invited us to be their guests to visit their new Science of Sharks exhibit she was beyond excited.
She spent the ride into Boston sharing tidbits of information on sharks with the whole family, and couldn't wait to get into the newest exhibit at the aquarium. The Science of Sharks is located below the Shark and Ray Touch Tank exhibit which is just inside the entrance. Of course, we had to stop and touch a ray or shark first and our resident shark expert made sure we knew to only touch them from head to tail and not the other way around. Once we had experienced touching these incredible creatures we headed downstairs to learn about the science of sharks.
All of the kids found the exhibit to be really engaging. They loved how interactive everything was with lots of touch screens for them to explore to their own learning levels. There were plenty of things to watch, read, touch and experience allowing everyone to absorb information in their own way. Our youngest loved checking out the newborn shark pups, while our shark expert oldest absorbed every minute of video footage of shark researchers in the field, and our more laid back middle checked out the exhibit at her own speed stopping to press buttons and touchscreens and occasionally have her big sister read information for her. I loved watching them engage with the exhibit on their own terms and in their own ways. Our Jr Reporter and resident shark expert was proud to announce that even she learned a thing or two about sharks including how scientists study them and more about their habitats around the world. It truly has something for everyone and I could have watched the rays and sharks upstairs in the tank all day!
For those who haven't been to the aquarium in a while don't miss out on all of their other fabulous exhibits while you are there. We had the chance to watch penguins being feed, learn how and why fur seals are trained, touch sea stars, watch a giant turtle be removed from the Giant Ocean Tank for routine veterinary care and much more! Did you know that in addition to the regular admission they also offer behind the scenes tours, a meet and greet with Myrtle the turtle, whale watches, IMAX 3D movies, and even a weekly Sea Squirts class? Learn more about these, their current exhibits, hours, pricing and more at www.neaq.org.
Note - Our family received press tickets for the purpose of this article. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
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