Kids can make their own plankton nets if time- this could be done in the classroom before hand, If not use nets provided at the centre. With the rangers, go out to the sea and trawl for plankton in the shallow waters. A ranger will go and do a deep plankton trawl. Then we look at everyone’s catch underneath the microscopes, and look at the different things that the ranger caught in the deep water.

The rangers assist the children trawling for plankton in the shallow waters. At the same time a ranger will be trawling in deeper water, still in view of the children so they can see how it is done. Everyone’s catch is then examined under the microscopes where the microscopic mini beasts can be identified. The opportunity is also given to design your own mini beast.

• Learn:

  • Microscope skills

  • What grows into what

  • Who is who

  • What aspects make plankton so successful in how they live.

  • Adaptations to environment
     

Investigate the crazy and bizarre world of the microscopic mini beasts found in the sea! The rangers demonstrate how to trawl for plankton. Everyone’s catch is then examined under the microscopes. The opportunity is also given to design your own mini beast.

Aims of Activity

To explore a part of the coastal environment that is not normally considered or looked at.

To learn how to catch plankton using nets, and then how to place them under the microscope.

To use microscopes effectively to see what the naked eye can not.

To identify animals

To study life cycles especially the variation between stages.

To look at feeding relationships and adaptations of animals to their habitats.

• Time: 1 hour.

• Maximum group size: Depends on ranger availability.

• Age: All ages.

Relevant parts of the National Curriculum:

SCIENCE

Primary

• Unit 2B: Plants and animals in the local environment.

  • That animals reproduce and change as they get older.

• Unit 2C: Variation.

  • Becoming more aware of the huge variety of living things within their local environment and of differences between them

• Unit 4B: Habitats.

  • That animals are suited to the environment in which they are found.

  • Feeding relationships within a habitat and the interdependence of living things.

• Unit 5B: Life cycles.

  • That adults have young and that these grow into adults which in turn produce young.

  • That there are different stages in life cycles, and the animal does not remain the same shape for its entire life.

• Unit 6A: Interdependence and adaptation.

  • How animals and plants are suited to their environment.

  • That animals and plants are interdependent.
     

Secondary

• Unit 7C: Environment and feeding relationships.

  • How plants and animals are adapted to live in a particular habitat.

  • Adaptations for feeding.
     

• Unit 7D: Variation and classification.

  • Although individuals are like their parents they are not identical to them.

  • Working safely with living organisms.

  • To present ideas about causes of variation.
     

• Unit 8D: Ecological Relationships.

  • Identify and name organisms found in a particular habitat.

  • Describe how organisms are adapted to environmental conditions.

  • Explain how adaptations help survival.
     

• Unit 9A: Inheritance and selection.

  • That offspring are similar but not identical to their parents.

  • Characteristics are inherited and how this is used in selective breeding.

  • Why selective breeding is important.

   

In April 2000 a new project called “Passionate about Plankton” was launched by the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, based at the Goodrington Seashore Centre, Torbay, Devon.

Funding for this project was secured from the Committee for the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS).

How to make a plankton net!

Objectives

• To communicate to a wide and varied audience of beach users and local residents the presence and importance of plankton in the marine ecosystem and the nature of that ecosystem as a whole.

• To promote the role of science in understanding and protecting marine ecosystems.

Strategy

• To use the Goodrington Seashore Centre in Paignton as a springboard for a public awareness campaign.

• To hold a programme of events, interactive workshops and boat trips around the beaches and waters of Torbay throughout the holiday season.

• To organise a similar programme of activities for the local community throughout the year.

A total of 3,859 members of the public participated in Passionate about Plankton events during the second year of the project. A further 40,000 people visited the Seashore Centre and Sea Zone during this time, with 70% of those using or reading plankton related material.
 

A guide to the tiny plants and microscopic monsters of our seas!

The Guide gives a simple introduction to plankton and its importance in the marine ecosystem with simple line drawings illustrating the common species of plankton found in south-west waters. It was produced in full colour with a laminate covering. This was considered essential due to the watery nature of plankton identification, therefore extending the viable lifetime over which an individual guide could be used.

The Plankton Guide was available to the general public free of charge, enabling everybody who had an interest to access this information. The guide was made available at the Seashore Centre and on all Passionate about Plankton events carried out during this year. In addition to this, the project responded to requests.