Discovering the Strandline Through the Senses – PIM ISblue

This activity was designed by students from various Master’s programs in Marine Sciences as part of the *Projet Intersemestriel Mutualisé* (Joint Inter-Semester Project) organized by IsBlue, and took place within a Marine Educational Area (AME) located at Sainte-Anne du Portzic Beach.

The specific project featured here is "MiniSciences," which aims to raise awareness among 4th-grade students (CM1 level) regarding the preservation of the marine environment. Our team consisted of 12 students, divided across four distinct activities. The one presented here is one of those four.

Please note: The equipment—specifically the number of collection boxes and magnifying glasses—is provisioned for a group of 6 students; this equipment must be adjusted to accommodate the actual number of students participating.

To facilitate this activity, we created a fictional character named "Coco"—a young scientist with a keen interest in, among other things, the strandline (natural debris washed ashore), as well as biodiversity, pollution, and coastal development. Additionally, we provided each student with a paper notebook designed to be used across all four of the proposed activities.

Part One – Introduction:

"Hi there, kids! We’ve got a little problem: Coco needs your help! Are you up for helping him?"

*Children’s response: Yesssssss!*

"Coco spent his whole day down at the beach collecting various items to study once he got home. Unfortunately, he left his collection boxes behind on the beach, and now he needs your help to describe what he found!"

"There are 6 of you, right? We’re going to split into two groups of three. The first group will help Coco by examining the sand right here in our Marine Educational Area, while the other group will study the contents of the collection boxes. After 10 minutes, the groups will swap places." Workshop 1: The Mystery Boxes (10 minutes)

3 Boxes: -1: Seashell (Task: Draw it) -2: Seaweed (Task: Draw it) -3: A representation of the strandline (Task: Describe it verbally)

"Taking turns, you will each draw in your notebooks whatever you feel inside the blue and yellow boxes. For the pink box, Coco has asked us to record your descriptions so that he can analyze them precisely. But be careful: under no circumstances should you take anything out of the boxes—otherwise, Coco’s experiment will be ruined! He also assured us that you have nothing to fear; there is nothing dangerous inside the boxes."

At the end of Workshop 1, we open the boxes to reveal the actual items that the children attempted to capture through their drawings or verbal descriptions.

Workshop 2: Sand Observation (10 minutes): The children observe the sand within a designated area to prevent them from wandering off. Ideally, the area should contain a mix of sand, seaweed, and shell fragments to ensure a diverse range of items for them to observe. (1 sample: – Upper beach with debris)

"Here, Coco asked us to bring magnifying glasses to look at the sand. Take one magnifying glass per person and look at the sand with it. At the same time, to keep a souvenir of the sand from A.M.E. beach, stick some in your notebook. (2 minutes)"

"Hey! I just found the sand that Coco collected. Come look at it with me; we're going to compare it with what you've observed!"

"Children's answers" and comparison with the sand containing pieces of seaweed, plastic, and shell debris.

End: discussion on the importance of the wrack line for the ecosystem (5 min): meeting of the two groups

Why is it called the "wrack line"?

- *Children's reflection*

- Our answer: "Because it's what the sea leaves behind!" "Everything you've observed constitutes the wrack line, and Coco asked us to ask you a question: in your opinion, why is there a wrack line?" "Is it important?"

- *Children's answers*

- "You can open your notebook to page 7 to look at the picture. (Diagram provided as a resource and printed in A3 for the facilitators) As we have seen from your discoveries, the wrack line isn't just made of seaweed! Discussions about seaweed and the wrack line, several types of seaweed, and other elements."

- The picture shows us the important role of the wrack line for the beach. It is very useful for many animals that live or feed there, but it also helps to slow the beach's erosion towards the road!"

End of activity