Hobbies And Interests
The Influence of the Moon
Use a moon-phase calendar and note the shift in tides over the course of a month as the moon waxes and wanes. Note and record any correlations between moon phases and higher tides becoming higher or low tides becoming lower. See if you can predict when the negative tide will be strongest based on when the moon moves through different phases.
Tidal Pool Life
When the tide reaches its most negative level for the month, take a walk and explore the areas usually underwater in tidal pools. Observe whether different creatures live in these pools compared to the tide pools that become visible every day. Explore to see if these more rarely exposed tidal pools have more or less vegetation than the pools you can visit on a daily basis. Notice which type of pool contains more biodiversity.
Hermit Crab Experiment
Nature writer Barbara Kingsolver wrote about a hermit crab she kept in an aquarium at her house in Tucson, Arizona. The crab's behavior altered over the course of a month and Kingsolver speculated that the crab, although no longer living in the ocean and unable to see the moon's shifts from its human-made environment, responded to the tidal shifts. Take home a hermit crab (first making sure it is not an endangered species) and create an appropriate environment for it by consulting a book about what it needs to live as a pet. See if the hermit crab's behavior at negative tide differs from its movements at high tide.