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BLOG POST Helping Kids Help the Ocean An 11-year-old in Texas is saddened by the oil spill and begins searching for something she can do to help. A 13-year-old in Washington, D.C., convinces her mom to make small changes in thei...MORE STORIES


	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Coral Reefs Need You For those of you who have had the opportunity to visit a coral reef, you know th...
	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Saving Sharks and Dolphins, Near and Far Sophi Bromenshenkel is an unlikely shark-lover. She's eight years old and hails...
	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Teens Making a Difference in Your Community Over the past year I have been working for an organization called Coastal Americ...

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					NOAA's Adopt a Drifter Program Apr 20, 2012 - 12:50PMNOAA is working with students across the globe to place floating buoys throughout the ocean through their Adopt a Drifter Program. The buoys will drift with the help of ocean currents and record the sea surface temperature and...

Celebrate World Ocean Day

Jun 3, 2011 - 2:55PM

June 8th is World Ocean Day- a great time to celebrate all that the ocean...

Marine Debris: Trash Travels, But You Can Help Stop It

Sep 19, 2010 - 12:09PM

Marine debris--or trash that has washed or been dumped into our ocean and...

SPOTLIGHT


How You Can Help the Ocean Make the ConnectionThe first step in making a difference is learning about the ocean and how your actions have an impact....

Helping Kids Help the Ocean Jul 15 2010 - 5:19pm An 11-year-old in Texas is saddened by the oil spill and begins searching for something she can do to help. A 13-year-old in Washington, D.C., convinces her mom to make small changes in their daily routine that make their home more ocean-friendly. A 7-year-old spends a part of his Saturday trip to...	Sustainable Seafood Glossary of Terms Apr 6 2011 - 12:00pm Aquaculture - a form of food production involving the cultivation of commercial fish and shellfish species under controlled conditions. Aquaculture currently takes place in contained ponds and along the coast; but offshore aquaculture has begun to gain popularity in open ocean environments. Inland...
NOAA and NMNH Sign Memo of Understanding Nov 12 2010 - 5:05pm A formal signing of a memo of understanding with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which continues and builds upon Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History partnership with them in ocean science research, marine research, climate literacy, outreach and...	Dauphin Island Sea Lab Delegation Feb 8 2011 - 6:11pm What can students do to help the ocean? It turns out, a lot! These students from Alabama are among dozens from the U.S. and Mexico who are developing action plans on ocean and climate-related issues in their local communities. They’re getting advice from their teachers and experts at aquariums...
Alaska SeaLife Center Delegation Feb 7 2011 - 8:00pm What can students do to help the ocean? It turns out, a lot! These students from Alaska are among dozens from the U.S. and Mexico who are developing action plans on ocean and climate-related issues in their local communities. They’re getting advice from their teachers and experts at aquariums and...	Saving Sharks and Dolphins, Near and Far Jun 9 2011 - 3:45pm Sophi Bromenshenkel is an unlikely shark-lover. She's eight years old and hails from Minnesota, a state that couldn't be further from the ocean. But a family vacation to Florida changed everything. When she saw a pregnant bull shark left for dead on a beach, Sophie knew she needed to help.
5 Simple Things You Can Do for the Ocean Sep 2 2011 - 3:32pm CREDIT: Flickr User Fabi Fliervoet 1. Bring Your Own The trash we "throw away" doesn't disappear. Plastic bags, disposable food containers, snack wrappers, and other loose garbage can be washed into local waterways and eventually end up in the ocean where it poses a major hazard for...	NOAA's Adopt a Drifter Program Apr 20 2012 - 12:50pm NOAA is working with students across the globe to place floating buoys throughout the ocean through their Adopt a Drifter Program. The buoys will drift with the help of ocean currents and record the sea surface temperature and location of the buoy as they travel. The information gained from the...
Climate Change and the Chesapeake Bay Feb 14 2011 - 4:14pm Students are working with the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Md., to develop an informal education plan that will communicate information about Chesapeake Bay marsh restoration and explain the effects of climate change and sea-level rise on the bay's marshes. As part of the Third Student Summit...	South Carolina Delegation Feb 7 2011 - 8:08pm What can students do to help the ocean? It turns out, a lot! These South Carolina students are among dozens from across the United States and Mexico who are developing action plans on ocean and climate-related issues in their local communities. They’re getting advice from their teachers and experts...
Amazing Ocean: Explore from Your Mobile Device Apr 13 2012 - 2:11pm Amazing Ocean is a brand new, free mobile app developed by the U.S. Department of State that features Smithsonian Ocean Portal and Sant Ocean Hall content. The app allows users to explore photos, videos, and rich ocean-themed content on their mobile devices.	Using Light Painting to Teach Bioluminescence Nov 21 2011 - 12:00pm What does a bioluminescent creature that lives more than two miles below the surface of the ocean and a glow stick have in common? More than you think. In a unique spin on an art technique called "light painting," you can create your own bioluminescent organisms with glow sticks in your classroom...
Earth Day, Spawned from the Sea Apr 22 2013 - 10:29am Sometimes I think that our planet Earth, named for the Old English word for “dry land” (eorthe), should get a new name. Despite our knowledge that more than 70% of the planet’s surface is ocean—definitely not “dry land”—we still refer to our home by an 8th century description. The same goes for...	Demystifying Seafood May 17 2011 - 10:44am Calling all fans of Bravo's "Top Chef" reality show: the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program is hosting Demystifying Seafood, a wine and dine event at the National Museum of Natural History on Thursday evening, June 9, 2011. "Top Chef" runner up Mike Isabella, fan favorite Carla Hall, season...
Teaching Your Students About Marine Debris: a Classroom Activity Sep 15 2011 - 11:14am Have you ever gone to your favorite coastal or lakeside beach and instead of having a fun day in the sun you were faced with a trove of trash? How heartbreaking it is to see waters and shorelines littered with items that you have at home, that maybe you’ve even recently thrown away.	Teach Us Mar 12 2010 - 8:10pm Welcome Teachers! Thank you for visiting the Ocean Portal. We hope the “OP” will be a valuable tool for you and for your students—a place where you can find teaching resources and your students can find helpful, exciting, or just-plain-weird content that sparks interest in science and the ocean....