Mayo Beach and Duck Harbor: Great for Kids!

Yesterday I did not get to the beach, but my son’s family did. They chose Duck Harbor at low tide, although Mayo Beach is listed as one of the top ten beaches for children. I think they made the right choice. Here’s what they liked:

The sunshine,
The seashells,
The calm,
The heat,
The ice cream afterwards.

What is your favorite Wellfleet beach for kids?

How To Keep Kids Busy At Wellfleet's Mayo Beach

Mayo Beach, at low tide, is the perfect place for children. Here's a game I invented. You give each child a list of objects. The goal is to see who can find the most items on the list:

1.) The whitest feather
2.) The biggest clam shell
3.) The smallest oyster shell
4.) The shiniest mussel shell
5.) The prettiest stone
6.) A sand dollar
7.) The most colorful piece of plastic
8.) A broken balloon or a Lego
9.) The most interesting piece of driftwood.
10.) A discarded horseshoe crab shell.

This game is a great way to discuss both nature and plastic pollution, as well as which man-made objects should not be washing up on our beaches. It can be played at any season, even in inclement weather. When my kids were small, it was easy to find the final item, but today there are fewer horseshoe crabs around. If you played a game like this with your children or as children, what else was on your list?

Bonus Post: Mayo Beach at Noon Today

It was quite exciting to stand in the line at Mayo Beach an hour ago and share thoughts of a clean-er environment with around sixty strangers. Some people happened by while out swimming, some came on purpose for Hands Across the Sand. A large contingent were in Wellfleet to celebrate Ernie Zobel's 75th birthday. The Zobels brought great "No to Offshore Drilling, Yes to Clean Energy" signs and stickers. And protesters all over the world were doing the exact same thing, at the same time. Will legislators notice?

"Have we gotten any better at green living?" is the question Jane Boursaw asks today at her blog Film Gecko. My response is I sure hope so! Jane read my earlier post this morning and referred her readers here. I'm thrilled the Submission trailer will get this early exposure on a mainstream blog. Thank you, Jane.

What do you think? Have we gotten better at green living?

Hands (and Feet) Across the Sand

Clean energy is a hot topic. Let's hope it remains so. Tomorrow, Saturday, all around the world people like you and me are going to step onto a beach at noon, join hands, and send a message: "This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, and fishing industry," declare the organizers. Here in Wellfleet, join fellow citizens who care about the environment for Hands Across the Sand at Mayo Beach, 12, noon. Say no to offshore drilling. Say yes to clean energy. It's time to draw a line in the sand. Let our representatives in Congress know there will be no more pussy-footing around ...