Scavenger Hunt!

The Hunt is On!

To test their knowledge of Oyster Bay’s resources and wildlife, the First Mates tackled a challenging scavenger hunt today that incorporated everything they had learned over the course of the program. They were excited to get started as Andi, Annemarie, and Connor handed out a daunting list of items, and rushed to get started the second their feet hit the sand of Beekman Beach. The kids went to work, gathering everything from ribbed mussels and sea-lettuce, to a mysterious pair of golden flip flops and a piece of driftwood.

Molly, Mackenzie, Belle, and Kate search for items at the beginning of the hunt.

A cool find: a little flounder! Though it wasn’t on the list, it was still a great discovery.

Trying to find moon jellies can be challenging, but we found some other cool creatures, like these several pregnant shrimp. Here’s Andi and a First Mate, excited at their find.

The most evasive creature on the list turned out to be a moon jelly: after grabbing their nets and trying to catch one for quite a while, it seemed impossible, and by the end of the activity not one group had successfully captured one! However, everyone had an amazing time trying to catch them, and were relieved to cool off in the bay for a few minutes in the process. I got to tag along with Molly, Mackenzie, Belle, and Kate, four determined girls who quickly found many of the items on the list. They searched earnestly on the beach, in the estuary, stream, and ocean to find item after item, and even cleaned up the habitat in the process. When the found plastic bottles strewn all over the sand, they put them in their bucket with everything else, to recycle later, in an effort to help the environment around them.

Belle and Kate examine a dead horseshoe crab for their bucket.

Andi helping a group of First Mates with some of their discoveries.

At the end of the hunt, however, only one group could win, and the victory was sweet after such fierce competition! It was an exciting afternoon for the First Mates, and a great end to the week for our Junior Summer program!

First Place

Second Place

More Photos

Belle, Kate, Molly, and Mackenzie’s full bucket.

Pregnant shrimp were a fascinating find for Andi and the First Mates.