I love popping into the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium when I am around the Manhattan Beach Pier and checking out what new sea life they have acquired or seeing what they may have added to the touch tank (their most recent addition to the aquarium was a pair of freaky looking frogfish, one is seen in the picture below). They do so much to teach people about our oceans, marine life, and the human impact on the aquatic environment that I am always grateful that they are there. Since they are one of the only aquariums in the Los Angeles area that does not charge a fee, I always try to donate a little to their collection box. They really scored earlier this month, though, when the S. Mark Taper Foundation donated $10,000 to the aquarium. What a nice Spring present!
The Roundhouse offers far more than what most people are probably aware of. Some of the great things they do include free story time and arts & crafts on Sundays and monthly theme presentations (this month was devoted to the U.N. sponsored World Water Day, which was last Saturday). Their Facebook page offers great tips and fun facts, and they have trivia on there where you can win prizes for answering questions correctly. They do inexpensive shark or dolphin-themed birthday parties for kids, and on selected Fridays they do overnight "Sleep With Sharks" slumber parties where kids spend the night alongside the mysterious sharks at the Roundhouse and get to feed them, learn shark biology, observe shark behavior, play shark games and pet live sharks (when my daughters were Girl Scouts they did the sleepovers and my granddaughters love the eels and the upstairs arts & crafts center) . They also offer week-long Summer camps in July and August that are loaded with activities, as well as plenty of field trips and educational adventures that over 15,000 students participate in each year.
Since they rely solely on donations and grants to support their operations and programs, you can imagine how appreciative the folks at the Roundhouse are with the Taper Foundation grant. They intend to use the much needed funds towards advanced training for special volunteers, creating new educational displays for the general public, replacing aging equipment and enabling collection trips to add new animals. If you are considering donating to or supporting this wonderful non-profit organization, please open this link.
The Roundhouse offers far more than what most people are probably aware of. Some of the great things they do include free story time and arts & crafts on Sundays and monthly theme presentations (this month was devoted to the U.N. sponsored World Water Day, which was last Saturday). Their Facebook page offers great tips and fun facts, and they have trivia on there where you can win prizes for answering questions correctly. They do inexpensive shark or dolphin-themed birthday parties for kids, and on selected Fridays they do overnight "Sleep With Sharks" slumber parties where kids spend the night alongside the mysterious sharks at the Roundhouse and get to feed them, learn shark biology, observe shark behavior, play shark games and pet live sharks (when my daughters were Girl Scouts they did the sleepovers and my granddaughters love the eels and the upstairs arts & crafts center) . They also offer week-long Summer camps in July and August that are loaded with activities, as well as plenty of field trips and educational adventures that over 15,000 students participate in each year.
Since they rely solely on donations and grants to support their operations and programs, you can imagine how appreciative the folks at the Roundhouse are with the Taper Foundation grant. They intend to use the much needed funds towards advanced training for special volunteers, creating new educational displays for the general public, replacing aging equipment and enabling collection trips to add new animals. If you are considering donating to or supporting this wonderful non-profit organization, please open this link.
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