Planning a meaningful Aquarium Trip for Your Kids

 By Jasmine Ho T. K. a stay-home-mom with two kids living in a humble house in Singapore.  Visit her blog: http://mumstalk.blogspot.com/

Visiting the aquarium is definitely one of the most enriching experience for your kids. Capturing their hearts are highly interactive galleries with touch tanks, video presentations, wildlife tours and diving with the sharks, just to name a few.   Bring your kids to the aquarium and learn about aquatic life through exploration and discovery and bring back fond memories.

1. Before visiting the aquarium, get your kids to visit the homepage of the aquarium. Sometimes, the aquarium may feature on-line activities or printables for kids. You may also get a chance to view the animals right at home through the many web cams facilities provided by the aquarium.

2. Find out the history of the aquarium, its mission, and its future tasks. Learn about the aquarium's adoption program.

3. Print out the aquarium newsletters, if any.

4. Print out the pictures of the amazing underwater animals from the homepage and get your kids to identify them at the aquarium.

5. Check the calendar of events of the aquarium. Aquariums are likely to have some daily activities and seasonal activities. Do not miss their training sessions where you can watch the aquarists feeding and training the sea animals.

6. Find out the programs offer by the aquarium. Some aquariums allow  you to feed the animals at allocated times. Take your kids for an animal presentation, where you can see the natural behaviours of the underwater animals.

7. Occasionally, aquariums do offer special programs such as swim with  the dolphins or sharks. Such programs allow participants to get close  to the mammals and learn about their behavior.

8. Interestingly, many aquariums are setting up their own clubs such as kids club, dive club and snorkeling club. Get your kids to experience a new adventure or acquire a new skill this season.

9. Enjoy a cruise with the aquarium. Some aquariums do organise whale-watching cruises.10. Visit the touch tank of the aquarium and learn to be gentle with the animals.

11. Bring along drawing papers and encourage your kids to draw the sea animals.

12. Bring your camera to capture shots of animal movements.  With the pictures taken, teach your kids to name the different parts of the animal.

13. Collect materials from the aquarium and encourage your kids to make a scrapbook of the aquarium trip.  Pick up any activity sheets for kids or design some worksheets yourself. Look out for interesting crafts sessions at the aquarium.

14. Learn about the aquarium conservation projects.

15. Some aquariums allow kids to be aquarium-keepers for a day.   Otherwise, join the aquarium camp! Campers may get to enjoy some of the exclusive behind-the-scenes activities, excursions, daily field trips to wildlife habitats, and an enjoyable overnight camp.

16. Join the aquarium's overnight program - It is a rare chance to explore the aquarium after hours, and you can get to participate in a variety of activities organised by the staff. With an expert guide, you may get to visit the aquarium’s behind-the-scenes areas and the food-preparation area to learn how the animals are cared for and fed.

17. Compare aquariums - Every aquarium is different. Get your kids to find out their differences and similarities.

18. Be an aquarium volunteer. You can help to reach visitors and students, or work directly in the conservation research projects.

19. Write suggestions to the aquarium on how to improve their facilities and services.

20. Teach your kids to support the aquarium by making a donation. Some aquariums have special programs which require funding.

21. Learn about 'Seafood Watch'. Some aquariums have this special program which provides regional seafood guides and teaches you how seafood can affect your health.

Have a nice trip to the aquarium!