Aquarium and ocean-related resources for Summer Reading 2022 “Oceans of Possibilities”

Places to Visit.

The Central Park Zoo: https://centralparkzoo.com/animals/our-animals – This is the Central Park Zoo’s animal homepage. The zoo, located in New York City, has mostly land animals, but is also home to seals. Sea lions, and a large number of penguins and puffins. The penguins are different breeds and are one of the main attractions at the zoo.

The Niagara aquarium: https://www.aquariumofniagara.org/ – The Niagara aquarium is located in Niagara Falls, NY. The aquarium features a large amount of ocean wildlife. They offer tours and behind the scenes looks at what a job at an aquarium is like. The aquarium also provides virtual programs on demand and scheduled for those who cannot attend in-person.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo: – https://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/experience/indoor-exhibits/aquariums/ The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is located in Syracuse, NY. The zoo features a wide variety of animals, including a healthy amount of ocean wildlife. The aquarium has 28 different ocean species, including the only Giant Pacific Octopus in Upstate New York State. The zoo also offers a variety of virtual education sessions on topics of your choice.

The Long Island aquarium: https://www.longislandaquarium.com/ – The Long Island aquarium in Riverhead, NY is a facility accredited by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. The aquarium has both outdoor and indoor exhibits as well as an online interactive experience. There also are two fascinating livestreams of the shark tank and penguin enclosure. The website also has program information for educators and children of various ages.

The Via Aquarium: https://viaaquarium.com/ – The Via Aquarium is located in Schenectady, NY. The aquarium offers a variety of exhibits, experiences and public programs to its visitors. The aquarium has over 2,000 sea creatures and 37 exhibits, including the sting ray feeding activity area where you can observe and feed and touch a sting ray. The aquarium is also involved in local conservation efforts.

The Bronx Zoo: https://bronxzoo.com/animals/our-animals – The Bronx Zoo is one of the largest and oldest museums in the U.S. Although most of its animals are land creatures, the zoo has some notable sea creature enclosures. The largest and most famous of these is the sea lion pool located in the center of the zoo. The zoo also offers virtual experiences, to bring the zoo to you. Live cams at https://bronxzoo.com/virtual/live-cams include the sea lion pool, sharks at Canyon’s Edge and the penguin enclosure.

The Buffalo Zoo: https://buffalozoo.org/our-animals/ – The Buffalo Zoo, located in Buffalo, NY is the third oldest zoo in the nation. It is also one of the largest zoos. The zoo features a wide collection of fish, amphibians, sea lions and sting rays. The zoo has education programs for visitors of all ages. It also offers distance learning programs to educators and schools. Download free animal activity sheets at https://buffalozoo.org/single-experience/zoo-2-you/

NY Aquarium: https://nyaquarium.com/ – Located in Brooklyn, NY the NY Aquarium is the oldest continually operated aquarium in the United States. The Aquarium is connected with the Bronx, Central Park and Prospect Park zoos. The aquarium has five exhibits and over 266 different species. It features several in-person experiences, such as sea lion feeding. Schools and libraries, educators, and parents can also check out the virtual program the aquarium offers. These include free education videos as well as various educational online activities.

Online Resources.

SciJinks: https://scijinks.gov/menu/tides-and-oceans/ – SciJinks is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This website contains information about the different tides and water cycles found in the world’s oceans. It also contains information on how ocean events like El Niño and La Niña affect people thousands of miles away from the ocean. There are also cool short videos on a variety of weather phenomena.

Ocean Today Danger Zone: https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/danger-zone.html – This is a website from Ocean Today. Ocean Today is a website from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This site contains a series of short 1-5 minute videos on the various dangerous situations the ocean can present. These include things like riptides, tsunamis and hurricanes. Videos show how these situations occur as well as how to stay safe when encountering these events.

Ocean Today Exploration: https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/exploration.html – Ocean Today Exploration is another website from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This site contains a series of short 1-5 minute videos on exploring the secrets of the ocean. These secrets include things such as shipwrecks, volcanos and deep-sea creatures. Many of these videos are history-based and provide information on major historical events, such as the sinking of the Titanic as well as the role of ocean archeologists. You can also take a “deeper dive” and watch a variety of archived webinars.

Ocean Today Fix the Ocean: https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/fix-the-ocean.html – Ocean Today Fix the Ocean is another website from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This site contains a series of short 1-5 minute videos on conservation efforts throughout the oceans of the world. The videos show how our actions positively and negatively affect the earth and the places and animals that are endangered.

Ocean Today Marine Life: https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/marine-life.html – Ocean Today Marine Life is also from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This site contains a series of short 1-5 minute videos on marine life. From fish, to whales, to seals, the ocean is full of millions of different animas. These videos show how each animal lives and where they fit in the world’s ecosystem.

Smithsonian Ocean: https://ocean.si.edu/ – Smithsonian Ocean is a part of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. The website contains information on how the oceans have changed throughout history, and also explores ocean life and ecosystems, as well as conservation and preservation efforts. The website also features many activities for children of different ages as well as free lesson plans for educators.

Free Activities.

Science Activities: https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/special-topics/hands-on-science-activities – This site is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration collection of online resources. The site contains many short 15-30 minute activities to get students thinking about how ocean and water related things work. These activities are hands-on and focus on Earth Science, such as water currents, plate movements and ocean floor mapping.

National Marine Sanctuaries Activities: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/fun/ – This website is also run by the National Marine Sanctuaries, which is part of the National Ocean Service. The site features free downloadable activities and materials for children of all ages. It includes games, activity sheets and other activities for kids to enjoy while learning about ocean life.

National Marine Sanctuaries Tour: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/gallery/ – This website is run by the National Marine Sanctuaries, which is part of the National Ocean Service. The website allows users to experience the various ocean and sea environments that the United States has to offer. There are multimedia photos and videos, but users can also virtually “dive in” and experience a 360-degree underwater view of their selected ocean environment. The site is also available in Spanish.

Fish Watch https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/administration_pdf/2002jrnat5.pdf – Fish Watch is part of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Nature Activities for Kids, which are located at https://www.dec.ny.gov/education/72444.html

Summer Reading at New York Libraries is a program of the Office of Cultural Education in the New York State Education Department and is funded through the Federal Library Services and Technology Act, with funds awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.