Cedarlane

Thank you for the quick response! We will pass along the information and I'm sure there will be more questions. The children, and the teachers, love the tank and it has a very calming effect!

Question from a first grader: How do the fish know to stay away from the sea anemones?

The first graders are enjoying books on Clown Fish, Sponges and Sea Anemones. It is wonderful to have the fish tank so they can actually see what is being talked about in the books. The students really look forward to their time with the fish!

The fish tank has been very engaging and soothing for our autistic students. We've been able to meet some of our educational goals throught visiting the tank.

We are reading "Is This a House for Hermit Crab?" by Megan McDonald and "Shrimp" by Deborah Nuzzolo to our first grade classes this week. After reading the books, the students are very excited when they see some hermit crabs and the shrimp. The shrimp still likes to hide upside down behind the coral in the back of the tank but you can see his anntennas and his pincers. Our students have really enjoyed the fish tank! Thank you so much for all of your work and for letting the library house it this school year!

Thank you so much for responding! We will pass along your answers! Andria read a book on sponges to the 1st graders and they had a couple of questions. 1. Do sponges have eyes? 2. How long does it take sponges to regrow missing parts? We also had a curious student ask if they can regrow themselves if they are eaten whole.

The children are really enjoying the fish tank! We have 2 more questions: 1. Why does the yellow tang look like it is kissing the glass? 2. Do any fish eat sponges?

We have some questions from 1st graders: 1. Do jellyfish sting corals and sponges? 2. Do you plant sponges? 3. How do corals know when to sting?

The Bubble Tip Anemone has changed color, size and location since August. We have really noticed a change in the last month. It used to be big enough for the clown fish to hide in, taupe in color and to the far left of the tank. It is now white, very small and more towards the middle of the tank. What could have caused this?

Andria is reading the following books to kindergarten, first and second graders this week: Corals by Carol K. Lindeen and Sponges by Jody Sullivan Rake Here are a couple of questions from some first graders that were visiting the fish tank yesterday: 1. Do sharks get stung by coral? and 2. Are sponges dangerous? Thanks to Doug for doing maintenance on the fish tank this morning! It looks great!!

Today, we had first grade sketching at the tank. Here are the questions that they came up with: 1. How do fish breathe under water? 2. How did WAMAS find the house for the clown fish? 3. Why did the blue fish (chromis) have blue on his back? 4. How many sea anemones are there? 5. Why does the poky fish (cardinal) like to hang out by the sea anemone? Also, some fourth grade teachers are using the time at the tank as an incentive to finish their work in a timely manner. If the finish their work, the kids can earn a few minutes at the tank to observe and ask questions about the tank.

We don't have any pictures yet as we haven't received all of the forms back from parents allowing us to share pictures. Hopefully that will come soon. Our preschool classroom has started using the tank at the end of library to review colors and shapes each week. The kids are becoming quite verbal for 3-4 year olds in their excitement to see the tank. Also, we are introducing the tank to the entire grade levels of K, 1, and 2 this week with a lesson on fish tank etiquette. (ex. no tapping on the class, quiet voices at the tank, and completion of work/assignments before visiting the tank) Since there is so much enthusiasm about the tank. I am reading SEA ANEMONES by Lola Schaefer and CLOWN FISH by Carol Lindeen.

First grade did their first activity with the fish tank today. They will be monitoring the growth and activity of the tank. Today, we sketched the fish and talked about questions that they might have. We are going to compare and contrast the tank's development each month. here are the questions from today: 1. Why is the clown fish black and white? 2. Why are their so many shells (snails)? 3. Is the black and white nemo fish a boy or girl? (Remember these questions are from first graders:)))

We noticed some pink caterpillar-like worms crawling in and out of the coral. We were wondering what they were. We're really enjoying watching the live-action. We had Open House today and the kids were very excited! Thank you for this opportunity! Michelle Bagley, library assistant

Does anyone have any ideas of saltwater fish books that would be good for kids in grades 2-5? I want to purchase resources for our kids to learn about the animals and plant life in our tank. Thanks for any suggestions you might have. Andria Donnelly, librarian

The fish tank has invited so many comments and visitors to the library. The teachers and I are already working on different projects for the year related to this lovely donation. One of the first grade teachers and I are planning to do a monthly comparison of the growth in the tank. We will be taking digital pictures each month and the students will be sketching different plant or animal life within the tank. Thanks so much for this opportunity. I am learning more about salt water fish than I ever thought I would and it has only been in our library for a few weeks. Andria Donnelly, librarian

We would love them!!

We love the tank, the fish seem to make everyone happy - we hope to have questions for you very soon. Thank you again for your informative presentation. The kids really enjoyed it.

We are in the middle of our Oceanography unit, and last week Doug came in to talk to our class about ocean life. He brought in some cool samples that the kids could touch, and taught us the "thruth" about Nemo. Thanks for everything Doug! The kids had a blast and learned a lot!!