Earlier this year, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum launched a new collaboration with the Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast, and just last week 66 Girl Scouts of Cape Coral attended ranging in age from Daisies (Grades K-1) to Seniors (Grades 9-10).
The 60-minute program was divided into four sessions. Museum Marine Biologists led the Girl Scouts and their Troop Leaders through the Beyond Shells Living Gallery of aquariums and provided an introduction to a diverse groups of animals that make shells. Participants got their hands wet in two Touch Pools and then explored the Great Hall of Shells. During the classroom portion of the program, they learned about what causes tides, the optimal time to go shelling, and how to be responsible Shellers. They also learned how to identify 10 different species of mollusk shells, which each Girl Scout got to take home along with a laminated National Shell Museum Shell Guide. After completion of the four sessions, the Girl Scouts earned a Shelling of Gulf Coast Florida Patch.
For more information on educational programming or to book a program, visit ShellMuseum.org/childrens-experiences or contact Kelsey Hausmann at [email protected].
About the Museum: The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is a Natural History Museum, and the only accredited museum in the United States with a primary focus on shells and mollusks. Its mission is to use exceptional collections, aquariums, programs, experiences, and science to be the nation’s leading museum in the conservation, preservation, interpretation, and celebration of shells, the mollusks that create them, and their ecosystems. Permanent exhibitions on view include the Great Hall of Shells which displays highlights of the Museum’s collection of some 550,000 shells, as well as the Beyond Shells living gallery of aquariums and over 60 species of marine life. For more information on the Museum, please visit ShellMuseum.org or call (239) 395-2233.
