Family Programs
Spring Programs
Coastal Cultivators
Coastal Cultivators is an educational opportunity for families to learn about sustainability on the coast, native plants, and coastal landscaping. Using the Outer Banks and CSI’s campus as examples, this program will explore what it means to garden and landscape with sustainability in mind and send participants home with a decorated recycled planter and a North Carolina native plant seedling to add to their own garden.
This program will be offered for ages 7 and up on April 24 and May 15 from 3:30-5 PM. The cost to attend is $10/ child or adult.
Please contact Lauren Kerlin (252-475-5451) for more information.
Summer & Fall Programs
An Evening in the Estuary
2024 dates and details forthcoming.
Tailored to elementary and middle school-aged children and their adult(s), Evening in the Estuary will include a boat ride through the Croatan Sound to a marsh island two nautical miles from CSI’s campus. Instructors will lead the public in fun, coastal science-based activities that will have them wading the shallow waters, surveying the sandy shores, and exploring the grassy uplands. Participants of all ages will learn about estuarine biology and ecology, investigate plant and animal adaptations, seine for critters, demonstrate food webs, and more.
Holiday Season Programs
Exploring Oyster Ecology
2024 dates and details forthcoming.
Exploring Oyster Ecology is an educational opportunity for families with children aged 5 and older to learn about the Eastern Oyster and its vital role in our estuaries. Participants will get an up-close look at live oysters, investigate the organisms they interact with, and head home with a craft, too! This program will finish with time to decorate an oyster holiday ornament.
Winter Programs
Maritime Mysteries
2024 dates and details forthcoming.
Maritime Mysteries is an educational opportunity for families with children aged 7 and older. Instructors will lead the public in a fun, interactive lesson on North Carolina’s rich maritime history and the methods used to study it. Participants will examine evidence and use investigative thinking to discover the identity of a lost vessel.