Approximately seven fifth- and sixth-graders from the New Sweden School and 32 from the Woodland Central School got their hands dirty on Nov. 16 learning a lot about lobsters at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland.
Photo contributed by Jill Plante
Monica McLaughlin and Austin Findlen examined a display at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland during their fifth- and sixth-grade field trip for students of the New Sweden and Woodland schools.
The field trip spanned Nov. 20, with the Cyr bus picking up the field trippers at 7 a.m. and returning them safely at 10:30 p.m. The actual field trip at the GMRI took approximately three hours.
“This is our second year taking the trip and it gets better every time,” said New Sweden fifth- and sixth-grade teacher Jill Plante.
The students, glove clad, enjoyed being able to pick up the lobsters and measure them. One blue lobster inhabiting the institure’s holding tank held the students’ interest, but the students enjoyed taking pictures of and studying all the lobsters. They also were given a detailed studying opportunity and were able to look through microscopes at larval lobster prey.
The field trip was free for students, as expenses were furnished by Maine Mutual Group and TD Bank.