Beachcombing with Kids

On the weekend, we often take the kids up to “Granny’s house” at Miracle Beach. When we get there, our 2-year-old son Alden heads straight down to the beach. Who needs toys? The beach has everything a toddler needs. Pebbles, seaweed, shells, crabs, sticks of driftwood and other flotsam and jetsam keep Alden fully occupied. It’s not only fun, but educational too. We talk about the colours, textures and shapes of the objects that we find, and Alden loves to count and sort things into various piles.

During these lazy, beachcombing afternoons, we often find human objects too. We collect smooth pieces of turquoise, green or amber beach glass and worn bits of pottery, or hunt for other things of interest, such as twist of rope, or a single shoe. Alden has fun learning the difference between “natural” and “un-natural” objects.On our last beachcombing expedition, we found some neat things that were washed up by the last storm.

Kids love to pick up shells, be it a ridged cockle or a fluted oyster. Alden was drawn to a purple shell that is quite common on our beaches, called the varnish clam. The inside of this small clam is a lovely lilac-purple colour. The outside has a peeling brown layer that looks varnish-like. The varnish clam is not native, and is thought to have hitchhiked here in the ballast of ships from Korea and Japan. Since the late 1980’s, this invader has become increasingly common. Clams are mollusks called bivalves and have two protective shells, or “valves” that are joined together by a hinge.

Ever see a piece of driftwood riddled with holes? This is the handy work of the Pacific Shipworm. Shipworms burrow into wood and can cause damage to ships and other wooden structures. The shipworm is not a worm at all, and is actually a close relative of clams. The head end of this creature has two tiny shells with serrated edges, and it uses a twisting motion to tunnel into wood. At the rear end are two feathery structures that are used to plug the entrance of the hole and to protect the two siphons that pump water in and out of the burrow. Shipworms eat wood, but also feed on tiny organisms that are filtered through the burrow entrance.

Alden’s favourite seaweed is the Turkish Washcloth. It is wine-red, has a knobbly texture, and looks like it would make a great exfoliating cloth for a high-end west coast spa. Seaweeds are primitive plants called algae. Kids are quick to spot the three different types, which are green, brown and red. Seaweeds have a holdfast, stipe and blade. The holdfast anchors the seaweed to a rock or other object. The stipe is like a stem that connects to the “leafy” part of the seaweed, the blade. Seaweeds are used commercially in many products, and are a thickener for toothpaste, ice cream, beer and non-drip paints. And don’t forget that seaweed, or “nori” is used to roll up that tasty sushi!

After we went back inside, I found several round beach pebbles that Alden had stuffed into his pockets. Pebbles provide endless amusement for toddlers. Sorting them, loading and dumping into buckets, and throwing them into the water to make a splash will keep the little ones going for quite a while. If you want to take it to the next level, start looking for the three types of rock: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. Many of our beach pebbles are igneous rock, which is formed when molten rock cools. Granite, with a “salt and pepper” look of white speckled with black is a common one. Smooth black basalt is another. We love to look at all the interesting patterns and colours of the pebbles. Don’t forget to dip them in the water, which makes them look even more bright and beautiful.

An afternoon of beachcombing wouldn’t be complete without finding a crab shell. Crabs are crustaceans that are related to barnacles, shrimp and lobster. Crustaceans have an external skeleton, called an exoskeleton, made of chitin. Crabs moult as they grow, and what might seem like a lot of dead crabs are often just outgrown exoskeletons. There are many species of crabs in our area, but some of the common ones to find washed up are the small green shore crabs (hairy legs, colour varies) and purple shore crabs (hairless legs, often have polka-dot pincers). Large crabs to look for are the red rock crab (reddish brown with black-tipped pincers) and the Dungeness (light orange-brown).

Beachcombing is a great way to spend and afternoon with the kids. Be sure to pack a few kid-friendly beach guides. A few of my favourites are Seashore of British Columbia by Ian Sheldon (pocket book), A Field Guide to the Identification of Pebbles by Eileen Van der Keller (laminated pamphlet) and A Field Guide to Seashells and Shellfish of the Pacific Northwest by Rick M. Harbo (laminated pamphlet).

Filed under Nature Writing | Tags: Beach Glass, Beachcombing, Pebbles, Red Rock Crab, Seaweed, Shipworms, Turkish Washcloth, Varnish Clam | Comment (1)