Looking for something to do with your kids this summer that gets them outdoors and doesn’t involve technology? You may want to consider heading out on the Great Lakes to learn more about the unique qualities of the water and wildlife that surround us.
DPTV’s Great Lakes Bureau went on a Summer Discovery Cruise on Lake Erie. It’s an educational cruise sponsored by Michigan Sea Grant, MSU Extension and Huron-Clinton Metropark that takes place on both Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair that includes hands-on learning about organisms above and below the waters of the Great Lakes. Turns out getting lessons while you are out on a boat isn’t so nerdy after all. The kids – and adults – we watched and interviewed used words like “cool” and “awesome.” The DPTV crew watched a transformation in the people aboard the Summer Discovery Cruise boat as they came to understand the hidden treasures of the Great Lakes.
Our guides (and many thanks!): Michigan State Extension Program Cruise Director Michelle Lamour, Great Lakes Education Program Instructor Mark Crowley and Provisional Interpreter Jane van Kirk. Special thanks to Senior Sea Grant Extension Educator Director with Summer Discovery Cruises and Michigan Sea Grant Extension Steve Stewart.
DPTV’s summer intern Lauren Guido produced and wrote this piece. If you want more information about the Summer Discovery Cruises that take place on the Great Lakes go to discoverycruises.org
