-
School Visits Visit Us Sea Watch can host group trips or visit your school! Our team aims to cover the following topics: marine life, whales and dolphins, and threats, while incorporating curriculum. There are a range of opportunities for teachers and pupils to get involved with the work that Sea Watch conducts around the UK and at our Education Hub in New Quay. The Hub allows us to host large groups, delivering educational activities inside and out on the pier/beach. Visits can be booked between April-October. Find out more about our Visitor Centre and Education Hub here.
Visits to you We can also visit your school and bring the marine ecosystem to the classroom! To organise a trip please contact our Communication and Outreach Officer, claudia.afeltra@seawatchfoundation.org.uk
Primary Schools Visits begin with an in-depth talk, including a slideshow, audio, images, activities and video about the bottlenose dolphins of Cardigan Bay. The rest is up to you! Our team can follow with a reading from The Magic Dolphin, an engaging story written by our very own Kirsten Hinter, or engage in cetacean-related activities with the children, such as photo ID. We also offer live links to our Cardigan Bay research team so children can ask our team any questions they may have without having to travel to New Quay.
Secondary Schools Our team are expanding their educational resources by offering secondary school resources, trips and visits. We aim to provide opportunities for secondary school teachers and pupils to incorporate current scientific research from our Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project and surveys around the UK into their teaching.
Universities If you are interested in having a guest lecture visit your university class or group please contact us for more details about what we can provide. We have given many such lectures to support marine biology & conservation courses, run training courses in marine mammal observation, and supervised numbers of MSc and PhD students over the last 25 years.
Community Groups Part of a community group like Girl Guides, Scouts or the WI? And want to learn more about whales and dolphins around the UK? We can offer a diverse range of talks and activities that you can use for free, please contact us if you are interested.
-
Why choose us? - Sea Watch Foundation is a national charity working to improve the conservation and protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises in British and Irish waters.
- We have over 30 years experience of marine conservation and have been running the Cardigan Bay monitoring project for 20 years.
- We are the leading organisation for monitoring cetaceans in the UK and have regional coordinators all across the country that support our database with sightings.
- Sea Watch Foundation, through its continuous programme of research and monitoring, provides invaluable information on changes to the status and distribution of cetacean populations and the condition of their habitats. This is used to raise awareness of any issues and prompt environmental change to help conserve and protect cetaceans.
- We have links with students and researchers across the country that can provide local knowledge about cetaceans in specific areas. 6. Lastly, we have wide range of activities that can be tailored to your individual class needs.
- ‘Daring Dolphin Rescue’, learning how to help rescue stranded and entangled marine animals/ Kathy James and Sea Watch Foundation.
-
Are there any costs? All we ask is that your group adopts a dolphin which helps to support Sea Watch Foundation continue with the vital research and conservation of the bottlenose dolphins of Cardigan Bay, and means you can follow your dolphins fortune every month and have fun using our materials and newsletters in your lessons!
The school adoption package costs £42.
What you get from the ‘ adopt a dolphin ’ package? • Monthly newsletter with updates on your dolphin.
• Exciting monthly Dolphin Diary email packed full of UK dolphin news.
• A special adoption certificate and a very cute cuddly toy.
• An ‘ID a whale and dolphin’ CD ROM – so you’ll know how to spot me!
• A huge poster, loads of stickers and a pod of dolphin facts in a booklet.
• Your own VIP password to the Adopters Area of the Sea Watch website where you can:
o Find out where your dolphin has been swimming using your own dolphin tracking map.
o Download a dolphin friendly screensaver or, if you’re feeling brave, the killer whales screensaver!
o Play loads of games, quizzes and activity sheets.
If your budget cannot permit this then we have some great fund raising ideas that will help you raise the money for Sea Watch.
- Your class could run a bake sale selling marine themed cakes?
- Fancy dress day or non-uniform day.
- Hold a school fete with a dolphin theme.
- Hold a school or class talent show.
-
Educational Resources – KS1 & KS2 Teachers working with pupils in Key stages 1 and 2 can now use an education pack designed specifically for primary school children.
Primary school teacher, and specialist science co-ordinator, Sarah Langford has worked in partnership with Sea Watch to produce these educational resources that are curriculum linked.
Activity 1: Mapping cetacean in the UK
Teachers notes 1 UK map outline Mini photos Photo cards 1 Photo cards 2 UK_A3_outline[1]Activity 2: Marine Migrations
Teachers notes on migrations Map of Americas Marine traveller passport Sightings notes for childrenActivity 3: Investigating adaptation of cetaceans and understanding water resistance (suitable for KS2)
QCA link Science Unit 4C Friction
Includes extra activities
- Investigating dolphin anatomy
- Whale and Dolphin Identification Quiz
Activity 4: Measuring sizes of cetaceans (suitable for KS1 and 2)
Includes extra activities – (suitable for KS2)
- Scale drawing activity
- Numeracy investigation to consifer the relationship between size of cetacean and the maximum time they can hold their breath for.
Sea Watch Investigator Assembly and Ocean Odyssey
Science plays an important part in the Primary Curriculum and children’s enjoyment of practical science activities. To celebrate our oceans and the biodiveristy of life an “Ocean Odyssey” range of acivites for all Key Stages has been developed.
Continue to learn about the UK dolphins. Adopt a dolphin for £42 a year and your school will be sent a monthly newsletter which will keep teachers and pupils up to date with the issues and challenges faced by our marine mammals. Monies raised go directly into funding our research. For further information click here
-
Threats to cetaceans 
Fishing netsDolphins, whales and porpoises can get entangled in fishing nets, over 10,000 porpoises die a year this way.
Pollution in the seaOil, waste and sewage are dumped into our seas.
Loss of foodFishermen are catching huge numbers of fish, making the competition for food enormous.
NoiseWhales and dolphins use sonar (echoes) to navigate around the sea. Unfortunately, many human activities (drilling for oil, military boats) produce these noises and this confuses the animals.
