I spent 3 weeks at the Vancouver Aquarium teaching in the wetlabs. It was an amazing experience and I got the change to work with so many amazing people. The place is built on the wonderful volunteers who come from all walks of life. Handling animals was truly as exciting as it was to learn from so many different people.
The wetlabs gave me the opportunity to see learning and to facilitate learning for students outside of the classroom setting. The students were clearly excited to be there and handle new animals. It was clear that handling these animals sparked many more questions from the students too. They were obviously invested in their learning and wanted to know more.
I also appreciated the conservation message that the Aquarium took the time to express after each lesson. Some ecosystems had garbage (a beer bottle, teapot, and some pipes) in them specifically to spark conversations about why those items were there. Additionally, one of the coordinators spoke about clean ups they had done in the past where the strangest things they found in the ocean were a wedding dress and a grand piano.
A California Sea Cucumber and the Spiny Lumpsucker fish.
Overall, the Vancouver Aquarium does amazing things for marine life and I am extremely grateful that I was lucky enough to spend a portion of my education degree there.