The old tank at the center served their students well. It provided 15 years of discovery, learning and enjoyment and enhanced the center’s nature-oriented classes by providing learning opportunities for school-age children on weekdays and for adults and their families on the weekends and evenings.

Once a small family-owned dairy farm, the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center is a town owned and operated park located in a diverse biosphere that is a wonderful microcosm of a typical Connecticut landscape. The site is a beautiful location that provides sanctuary to many species of New England flora and fauna and the visitor’s center provides a home for a butterfly/hummingbird garden and an award-winning woodland wildflower and fern garden.

Use of this facility is free and open to the general public and the center is open every day from sunup to sundown.  The office hours at the interpretive center are from 9 to 5 daily with the exception of major holidays. A portion of the park has been dedicated to recreational fields; including soccer, baseball, and softball, as well as several acres reserved for community gardening and a large playscape for younger children with picnic pavilions available by reservation.

The land surrounding the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center includes two and one-half miles of nature trails and is encompassed by 104 acres of wooded hills and grassy fields that are bisected by streams, a two acre pond, wet meadows, and an upland swamp. The center provides active and passive recreational opportunities to area residents with nature oriented education programs as their focus.

Substantial program and project support is provided by the Friends of the Ansonia Nature Center, Inc. The new hundred gallon Touch Tanks for Kids classroom Touch Tank made in Maine that will provide a permanent home for several tidal-pool creatures found on the Connecticut coast and provide countless hours of learning, exploration and discovery for the people lucky enough to visit the center, a true educational treasure. The new learning Touch Tank was paid for with a grant The Watershed Fund of the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, 90 Sargent Drive, New Haven, Connecticut. Web Site: http://www.thewatershedfund.org/The-Watershed-Fund-Grants/

View the Calendar of Events for a listing of upcoming activities at the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center, HERE.

This is a video made by students at Harpswell Elementary School, in Maine about using and caring for their classroom Touch Tank, from Touch Tanks for Kids.  Mrs.  Jean Giberson, the 5th grade teacher at West Harpswell Elementary School, and some of her students talk about the touch tank in their classroom, how they maintain it, and show us some of the unique inhabitants.

Encourages Participation

Thanks to a Grant from Gannet Charitable Foundation, Touch Tanks for Kids has expanded our valuable environmental learning program to three school communities: Freeport Elementary School, Freeport, Maine, Berlin High School, Berlin, New York, and Tuscaloosa County High, Northport, Alabama.

The Touch Tank Teaching Program is an innovative interactive approach to learning that encourages students to respect the environment as they learn about and care for a wide variety of sea animals.

Jean Giberson, an elementary school teacher from West Harpswell Island School on the coast of Maine, designed the original Touch Tank. She wanted more of her students to be engaged in the learning process and understood that by bringing an exciting hands-on learning experience into her classroom, she would reach more students and improve her ability to teach science, environmental stewardship and other related subjects.

Jean’s vision energized her students, created a better learning environment and inspired the creation of Touch Tanks for Kids, a 501 c 3 environmental nonprofit committed to helping more students enjoy the benefits of the interactive lesson of the Touch Tank.

When asked about the Touch Tank Teaching Program, Ms. Giberson said, “The Touch Tank has been one of the best educational tools I have ever had. If people saw what this tank did and how it inspires the students, there would be no question about funding it. The students might forget me in ten years, but not the tank.”

The Lobsters Like Grants

Thanks to Jean Giberson, the Touch Tank Teaching Program is now used in many locations with educators reporting that a Touch Tank  in the classroom supports all aspects of education, encourages participation, improves learning results, and energizes children to learn.

Believing that building relationships is a main component needed for the long term sustainability of the planet, Touch Tanks for Kids collaborates with like organizations, students, teachers and community members to build better ways to teach students. We work toward our long term strategic goals of advancing marine science education, improving waste management practices and providing long term economic opportunities by creating new and exciting ways to learn about the natural world.

With the generous contribution from the Gannet Charitable Foundation, Touch Tanks for Kids has equipping three professional educators and their students with the world-class Touch Tank Teaching Program. The educators will be provided with everything needed to adapt the valuable teaching program to the needs of their students. They will also be asked to participate in a sea-life propagation study, a study that will help future Touch Tank Teaching Program participants maintain more vibrant educational ecosystems.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Touch Tanks for Kids Program. We are seeking educational programs to participate in a collaborative grant writing effort to unlock more funding to expand Jean’s teaching vision to more students. Participants will only be asked to identify possible grant funding sources and to answer objective and subjective questions about the ways the Touch Tank Teaching Program can improve education, advance marine science studies, improve waste management practices and provide long term economic opportunities for the students who participate in the program. Touch Tanks for Kids will share the teachers’ evaluations and suggestions for improvements to the Touch Tank Teaching Program with our interconnected teaching network.

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Linda Bean at the grand opening of Linda Bean's Lobster Cafe' at the Portland International Jetport

Touch Tanks For Kids has added another exciting spot where you can visit and enjoy the experience that is a Touch Tank.  In early October The Portland International Jetport (Maine) and HMSHost Corporation presided over the grand opening of Linda Bean’s Lobster Cafe’ inside the jetport.  Linda Bean herself, Portland Mayor Nick Mavodones and Maine Governor Paul LePage were all in attendance at this gala event.

Linda Bean’s Lobster Cafe’ will provide travelers with the opportunity to experience the best of Maine’s seafood in a convenient location.  Imagine flying into Maine, walking off a plane and being able to experience Maine’s signature food.  This is a tremendous idea, and the location is perfect.

The most exciting part of this transaction for Touch Tanks for Kids is that there is a brand new Touch Tank at the brand new restaurant that will allow for millions of travelers to not only enjoy Maine’s signature food, but to be able to observe and learn about the oceans of Maine and the many forms of life that they support.   Touch Tanks for Kids have provided the preeminent interactive aquarium for years and the opportunity to be displayed in such a prominent place will help spread our message of environmental education.

The partnership between Touch Tanks for Kids and Linda Bean’s Lobster Cafe’ is a natural one because both entities have a major goal in mind.  Raising awareness about our oceans and the sustenance they supply.  Linda Bean’s mission to redefine and promote the value of the Maine Lobster Industry is well under way.   Since the inception of the business in 2007, Linda Bean has become one of the largest lobster dealers in the State of Maine and has opened Lobster Cafe’s all over the world.

Touch Tank for Kids at Linda Bean's Lobster Cafe

The bigger message Linda Bean has sent is that harvesting lobsters is a sustainable practice, that can help power the Maine economy for an unlimited number of years in the future.   Touch Tanks for Kids shares this message of sustainable industries coming from the ocean.  Understanding this vast resource, and teaching people about it were behind the creation of Touch Tanks for Kids from the beginning.

So the next time you are at the Portland International Jetport, and you see Linda Bean’s Lobster Cafe’, stop in for a great tasting lobster roll treat, and treat yourself to a glimpse into Maine’s coastal ecosystem, inside their Touch Tank.  You will be able to see, not only lobsters in a natural environment but many other sea creatures as well.  In this case it is alright to both look and touch!

Kids and Science Education on Display at Fisher-Mitchell

The Touch Tank Project at Fisher-Mitchell elementary in Bath, Maine got some needed grant  support after the  Merrymeeting Bay Trust called Tammy Baxter and urged her to apply for grant money the group had available.  The members of the trust recognized the value of Tammy’s educational vision, of providing a more dynamic connection between kids and science, after reading about it in Seth Koieng’s article, Making it easier to see sea life. In a follow up article appearing in the the Times Record of Bath, Maine, Seth’s writes,

“BATH – A Fisher-Mitchell School teacher has secured more than $10,000 in grant money to acquire a 150-gallon salt water touch tank since a story about her pursuit of the funding appeared earlier this month in The Times Record.”

The innovative Touch Tank teaching program will encourage Tammy’s students to respect and nurture other living things as they will learn to care for those more vulnerable than themselves. They will observe how fish live in their native environment and discover the value of the aquatic habitats that  surround them. They will learn new and exciting facts about our oceans and the animals which enhabit them.  It may even encourage some students to pursue a career related to the ocean, because of the innovative Touch Tank Educational Program.

Congratulations to the students of Fisher-Mitchell Elementary School, Tammy Baxter for her incredible vision and a big thank you to Merrymeeting Bay Trust for the grant support that helped theses proud students  fund their Touch Tank Project!  If you are interested in acquiring a salt water aquarium for your school, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Science has helped motivate kids to make a difference in ocean habitats

The Mission of Touch Tanks for Kids includes motivating everyone to take personal responsibility for our actions and ending habits that poison the Oceans. In order to have an impact by motivating Touch Tank educators and students to take action, our volunteers monitor the efforts of other groups so that we may share their ideas with our supporters.

Our friends over at Science Buddies have several free project ideas and resources that many Touch Tank educators find useful to help advance kids and science learning.  There are over 1000 project ideas to choose from including teaching resources that include everything teachers need to plan, manage, and evaluate a science fair or a science project in the classroom.

One of the major motivating factors throughout the formation of Touch Tanks for Kids was the existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This phenomena is from far great, actually it’s quite disgusting.   This ecological disaster is a huge warning sign of how human waste can alter the environment in a negative way. As to what to do with the massive sea of plastic,  that most reports say is bigger than Texas, Oceanographers are at a loss, but organizations like Science Buddies and The Tech Museum have suggestions. Here is a marine debris project and “Tech Challenge” that advance the Touch Tanks for Kids Vision of a cleaner habitat in the ocean.

How Much Plastic Slips Through?
Marine debris often starts as litter that makes its way through local storm drains

Researchers are discovering that much of the litter in the oceans is very small. While some ocean trash comes from boats, other debris starts its trip to the ocean on ordinary streets like your own. In the Do Your Storm Drains Keep the Ocean Trash Free? project, students will document local stormwater drainage systems, make models of storm drains they find, and test those models to see how effective they are in filtering out plastic trash. (Difficulty: 6)

Be a Part of the Solution!

Marine scientists are asking The Tech Challenge’s young engineers to help them clean the seas. Your team’s challenge is to design and create a device that can collect trash from the ocean without harming marine life. We at The Tech Museum know you can do it. In the past challenges, you have explored volcanoes, moved water without electricity, and even helped NASA clean up space.

Want to help? Click here for more information about how to participate in The Tech Challenge, which will culminate in Event Day April 30, 2011 at Parkside Hall in downtown San Jose, Calif.

click to visit

Touch Tanks for Kids encourages everyone to start conversations and take actions that help stop the release of dangerous plastic into the environment. We applauded The Tech Museum and Science Buddies for motivating students to take action that helps protect  our oceans.

A students letter has eloquently articulated the value a Touch Tank would provide for kids and science education everywhere.  I encourage you to read this letter first, as it will show you why this project is so important.   The students of Tuscaloosa County High of Northport, Alabama have a reason to smile. Because of the dedication of University of Alabama alum Lisa Clark, her students are now developing unique and interesting ways  for them to  use their very own Touch Tank to learn more about the oceans.  Often times, the most difficult part of participating in the Touch Tanks for Kids Program is raising the money for the Touch Tank. Lisa’s students are working hard at raising funds and are close to buying their very own  Touch Tank and all of us at Touch Tanks for Kids, including Count Sharcula, want them to succeed.

Northport got its name because of the importance of the Black Warrior River. This vital river basin is entirely contained within Alabama.  The Black Warrior Riverkeeper is a citizen-based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the water quality of this historic watershed that services one million residents, contains 16,145.89 miles of mapped water, and covers 6,276 square miles.

Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries.  One of the missions of Touch Tanks for Kids is to motivate more people to take personal responsibility for our action when it comes to habits that lead to polluting our water ways.

Protecting America Rivers is a vital step in improving the health of our Oceans and providing the funds necessary for the Tuscaloosa County High students to fully participate in the Touch Tank program will help recruit a generation of students to contribute to the protection of the Black Warrior River Basin, helping to keep the Black Warrior River clean and to also  improve the health of Ocean habitats.

Please help the students of Tuscaloosa County High reach their goal of achieving the first Touch Tanks for Kids’ educational Touch Tank in an Alabama school by making a contribution and asking your friends to do the same. Please indicate Tuscaloosa County High (Alabama) while making the contribution.

Here is a copy of the 500-word essay that a partner team of Lisa’s Tuscaloosa County High students wrote/typed when applying for the Touch Tanks for Kids Grant. Beautifully Articulated!

A Single Touch Tank Touching Minds

The entire science department here at Tuscaloosa County High feels passionately about the acquisition of an aquarium. Working as a cohesive unit, the entire science department already knows how the school will utilize a Touch Tank. Under passionate leadership from our teachers, the students of TCHS have divided into numerous research and development teams that are already creating a plethora of fresh ideas. The exciting maelstrom that has ensued just merely from the concept of a Touch Tank is a testament to what the physical presence of one will bring to TCHS.

Students have already fabricated plans for an extensive curriculum of study, while also planning to organize special seminars to assist in tutoring younger students. The Touch Tank is the cornerstone of this plan. Not only is it obvious that students in the classroom will benefit from studying the Touch Tank, but we as a school hope to make it blatantly clear that even younger elementary students can benefit from this as well. A Touch Tank would not only improve the school, but the entire school system. Children learn best by adopting a hands on approach; a Touch Tank would undoubtedly increase their disposition towards the sciences exponentially. The entire school system would most certainly work to cultivate a strong interest for education in everyone, especially in our youngest, freshest minds.

This type of interest will easily be sparked when County High’s passionate teachers are coupled with high-tech equipment. As a smaller school, our passionate teachers have been forced to utilize their creativity with limited resources – this Touch Tank will easily multiply the creative options for our science teachers. Both our students and teachers are already working to utilize the expected boom that will arrive with the Touch Tank by spreading our education beyond the political and physical borders of our school system. Many people are already anticipating the arrival of university professors to make use of and discuss our Touch Tank when it arrives. There is a team of students in place who are researching similar prospects via teleconferences over the web. Yet another team is working on placing our Touch Tank lessons on networking websites like YouTube and Facebook. This will not only educate local students on marine science and biology, but it will allow our teachers and professors to elucidate on the subject on the global stage. The opportunity here for world-wide erudition is invaluable.

Educational utilization is not the only type exposure a Touch Tank will receive at Tuscaloosa County High. There are plans to have the Touch Tank mentioned on local news stations. TCHS is also planning to ask Wells-Fargo, our Adopt-A-School partner, to assist in sponsoring our Touch Tank. The TCHS science students are working on future sponsors for our Touch Tank by making use of a simple and easy-to-use Environment Sustainability list.

With the passionate teachers and workers in our local school system, a Touch Tank could increase education in the area exponentially whilst generating a national (and potentially global) awareness on marine science and safe environmentalism. A single Touch Tank here could touch many minds everywhere.

Just prior to becoming involved in the lobster industry, Jason Friend spent 5 years working in Afghanistan and Iraq as an interrogator and counterintelligence agent for the Department of Defense, prior to that he was in the Army, When asked why did he become involved in the lobster business and why his veteran owned business is a supporter of “>Touch Tanks for Kids. Jason said,

“Now it’s time to stop jumping out of helicopters and dive into pursuing my American Dream”

Jason, why did you become involved in the lobster business?

Jason: “I’ve always had an interest in sea life, and over the years, I spent a few summers in Maine working with lobstermen, lobster shacks, and oceanariums. I even worked at Sea World for some time in their education department.  My first introduction to Maine and the lobstering industry came in the early 90′s during the dot com rush era.  I recall eating at my first lobster shack near Bar Harbor and getting a literal taste of how popular Maine lobster is with tourists from around the globe.  In the back of my mind I always wanted to apply my ecommerce/internet skills in an innovative way that is pertinent to the lobstering industry once my Forest Gump type life would allow me to do so.  With that, I hold a patent on a system which allows people pick (online) the exact lobsters that will be shipped to them from Maine.  This should be operational in the coming months on www.lobstertank.com.  My goal is to be able to help put more lobsters back in the ocean than I sell by contributing a portion of my profits to the Bar Harbor Oceanarium which operates the only Lobster Hatchery in New England.

Jason, why does your veteran owned business support Touch Tanks for Kids?

Jason:  “I am a Touch Tank for Kids supporter in great part because I have a 6 year old son.  One thing I know for sure is that touch tanks are absolutely captivating for kids.  Whenever I take my son to Sea World in San Diego, he is always drawn to the Tide Pools area where he gets to look at and touch star fish, anemones, and other sea life.  He just lights up, asks lots of questions, and I see him learning and developing an appreciation for all things living.  With that, I absolutely love that Touch Tanks for Kids has created opportunities for kids to visit the tide pools and underwater sea life in their own classrooms.  Imagine what the world would be like if all kids had an educational foundation and appreciation for oceanic ecology.  I hope to be able to utilize my “Love Tub” aka Mobile Lobster Tank for lobster fundraisers so that schools in Southern California can own their own Touch Tanks for Kids.”

Touch Tanks for Kids is thrilled to have Jason Friend as a supporter. He is a true American innovator and hero. His lobster business allows any Southern California school the opportunity to sell fresh Maine lobsters as a means to raise the monies necessary to participate in the Touch Tanks Teaching Program, a proven educational tool that improves Ocean Literacy, Science comprehension and motivates students to become more environmentally responsible.

Here is the Lobster for Learning Order Form that helps explain this simple fundraising process:

For all Southern California residents who want to provide lobsters for a fundraiser, barbeque, family or class reunion, public supper, annual festival, or any other event and support a veteran owned business, email Jason at jrfriend@gmail.com , and if you would like to become involved in the lobster business and bring this unique opportunity to your home town or community, contact Touch Tanks for Kids. 207-944-9852

Oriental Jade Promotes Environmental Education

The next time you are visiting Bangor, Maine, make sure you plan a stop at The Oriental Jade Restaurant where you can enjoy their brand new Touch Tank.  You can enjoy the finest oriental dining in Maine,  and experience  sea life in it’s natural environment.   What is a Touch Tank?  It is the most modern hands-on aquarium available today.  It allows for people to not only observe sea creatures in their natural environment but allows you to interact with them.  Most often they are used in an educational environment, helping advance the connections between kids and science.  The Oriental Jade is so unique because you don’t have to be a kid to interact with these wonderful creatures.

The Touch Tank Teaching Program

The Touch Tank Teaching Program has been providing an interactive learning experience for Maine students since 2005. The interactive educational program, inspired by a Maine teacher, has proven so effective that teaching touch tanks can now be found in 17 states. Students learn a vast amount of information when they observe  an ecosystem,  that they are actually reading about in textbooks.   A salt water aquarium is a powerful way to enhance environmental education in any setting, allowing students to develop a natural appreciation for ocean habitats and a unique understanding of the creatures who call the ocean home.

Benefits of A Touch Tank

Touch tanks provide many benefits for learners of all styles.  Being able to observe how sea creatures live in their natural ocean habitat allow a student to not only hear about, but to actually see that environment unfold before their very eyes.  This allows them to develop an empathy with those creatures, that would have been impossible before.  As students care for this environment and the life that is in it, they will develop a feeling of responsibility, a respect for life, and an understanding of their active role in the process.  By providing clean water and maintaining a healthy ocean environment, students will be able to apply these lessons to their lives out of the classroom.   The Touch Tank Program also allows students to understand that it is their duty to care for those that are more vulnerable than themselves.

The Biggest Obstacle Schools Face

Oriental Jade Buffet Fund-Raiser

Obtaining funding for a Touch Tank is the biggest obstacle that schools generally face when trying to get a salt water aquarium to enhance their own science curriculum.  There are many unique ideas and grants available.  The Oriental Jade Restaurant also provides a great fundraising opportunity.   For the past decade, the Oriental Jade Restaurant has been sponsoring one of the best fundraising programs available to schools and organizations in Maine.

The Oriental Jade’s Dinner Buffet Fund-Raiser Program has proven itself to be a successful and rewarding endeavor where your group can easily earn up to $1000 while enjoying an evening of delicious food and fun filled events.  This, of course,  includes interacting with the Oriental Jade’s community touch tank, that they recently had installed by Touch Tanks For Kids.  Your group sells tickets for a buffet to be held at the Oriental Jade at a predetermined time.   You need to apply with the Oriental Jade to set a time for your fund-raiser.   They will be able to walk you through the simple steps for completing this fundraiser.

This fund-raiser alone will not provide all of the funds necessary to purchase a Touch Tank, but you will be well on your way to providing your students with a richer educational experience that bridges the gap between kids and science.  Touch Tanks for Kids recommends the Oriental Jade’s Dinner Buffet Fund-Raiser Program. The Oriental Jade food is terrific and their on-site community touch tank is a great way for you and your students to experience the benefits of a touch tank education they will soon be experiencing first hand.

Come Visit Oriental Jade

So, stop by the Oriental Jade for lunch or dinner, enjoy a great meal and meet the Oriental Jade’s friendly staff and discuss how their dinner buffet fundraiser can help your group or club raise money so that your children can experience the benefits of an interactive touch tank.

aquatic plant and animal species

The life expectancy of marine and other aquatic animals, vary depending on feeding schedule, tank water chemistry and age of the specimen. Touch Tanks for Kids has limited collection abilities and we recommend the Aquatic Resources Division at the Marine Biological Laboratory for quality marine specimens.

The Aquatic Resources Division (ARD) of the Marine Resources Center (MRC) collects, maintains, and distributes, for educational and scientific purposes, approximately 200 locally available aquatic plant and animal species. The MRC allows long-term husbandry and availability of many species normally out of season to field collecting. The ARD provides worldwide shipment of many organisms, as well as tissues and fluids. For information about availability or shipping contact the ARD at (508) 289-7375 or (508) 289-7455. For a complete catalog of available specimens, see the link below or e-mail a request to specimens@mbl.edu.
Catalog of Marine Organisms

Terms and Conditions

Publications by MBL Squid Users

Contact information:
Ed Enos
Superintendent, Aquatic Resources Division
MRC 316
7 MBL Street
Woods Hole, MA 02543
508-289-7455

Marine Organism Order Desk
MRC 114
508-289-7375

We have researched  suppliers of  freshwater species native to the many areas, and it appears to us that the best way to stock a native species tank is to get in contact with a local supplier that is an expert in the local habitat. The local aquarium club might be a good place to start looking, Contact Touch Tanks for Kids by phone at 207-944-9852 or email: mikemartin@touchtanksforkids.org