Thu 23: Open Bay Islands video

Let’s travel to the wild West Coast!

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Below are some talking points and activities to pass the time, all relating to today’s video.

Talking points

Discuss the ideas presented in the video with your family—at home or over video conferencing. Find ways to involve as many people as possible, especially those who you know are isolated by the lock-down.

  • What was your reaction to the mother seals—one gives birth at the beginning and another has a long labour. What did you notice about these births? Were there any similarities or differences to human births?
  • A weka and gull fight over the baby seal’s afterbirth. What did you think of this when you watched it? What are the benefits of having these kinds of opportunistic feeders around? What could be a downside?
  • Did the footage of the starfish surprise you? Did you know about all the tubular feet that allow a starfish to move, or the way they actively catch prey? What creatures do you guess might prey on starfish?
  • The octopus has a good long-term memory as well as a good short-term memory. How might this help when attempting to break into the craypot to eat a crayfish? What is your favourite creature—the crayfish or the octopus?
  • What are some of the things you admire about fur seals after watching this? Why do you think the Open Bay Islands make such a great home for seals?

Task—Make a bubble machine

The seals create some amazing bubble-trails underwater while they frolic and swim a top speed. Create your own bubble machine out of a bottle and a sock!

  1. Take a smallish bottle such as a shampoo bottle. Cut off a couple of centimetres or so from the bottom of the bottle. Take the lid off the bottle and give it a wash—you will be blowing into it.
  2. Find an old sock. Fit the open end of the sock around the bottom of the bottle so that the toe of the sock dangles down.
  3. Secure the sock in place with a rubber band.
  4. Mix up some dishwashing liquid and water in a bowl.
  5. Dip the sock into this bowl of soapy water and make sure it is thoroughly wet.
  6. Blow gently into the top of the bottle. Bubbles should froth out of the sock.

Send us a picture of your bubble machine!