Knowing the Rocky Seashore

Environments don't get much more extreme than the Rocky Seashore. Imagine a world pounded by thousands of crashing waves each day. Competition for a place to live is fierce between the daily coming and going of the tides. Yet life not only survives...it thrives!

Read Up! Natural History  

At MARE's request, naturalist Robin Milton Love wrote this accessible background essay on the natural history of the Rocky Seashore.

MARE's Teacher Background for the Rocky Seashore (pdf)

Websites

You can now search for Habitat specific web links through our Resource Materials search.

To find general web links about ocean sciences, visit the useful web links page in our News section.

Teaching the Rocky Seashore

The First Grade MARE curriculum explores what a habitat is, how animals and plants use adaptations to live in extreme environments, and some of the different forms of rocks that make a seashore. Students study live crayfish and become familiar with common rocky seashore life.

Join MARE's Rocky Seashore Forum!

Contribute your ideas and ask questions of other people teaching about the Rocky Seashore. New features of this website and professional development opportunities will also be shared in the Forum.

Visit the Rocky Seashore Forum now!

Field Trip Tips

• Have a buddy to spot waves — never turn your back on the ocean!
• Tell kids to bring a change of socks and pants, so they can get wet! Or bring a square of plastic or carpet to help with sitting comfortably.
• A visit to a Rocky Seashore is great for older kids too — buddy up your first graders with a 4th or 5th grade class that did rocky seashore when they were first graders.
• Balance the need to identify with the need to observe — get more out of seeing an organism than just the name!