Submitted by Sara Godwin

Faulkner State Community College’s Gulf Shores campus will host its first children’s program with Ocean Camp, a summer day camp for ocean lovers and future marine scientists ages 4-12. 

Ocean Camp is a program created by certified marine educator and public school teacher, Belinda Ringpfeil. Ringpfeil hopes the opportunity of the camp will promote the area’s beautiful coastal towns.

“We hope to interest local children and vacationing families with a chance to have children experience wet and watery marine discoveries while making a new kind of memory this summer,” Ringpfeil said. “My personal hope is that at least a few campers will leave with an inspired interest in the marine world that will become a passion for their future.”

Ocean Camp curriculum is designed using Ocean Literacy principles to guide learning through hands-on activities, inquiry, research, problem-solving and critical-thinking.

Camps will be on Tuesdays in June.

Beginning June 7, campers will begin Animal Explorer Week.  They will experience an up-close look at live and preserved oceanic sea life, their favorite foods, family life and other opportunities to learn food chains and lifestyles of the sea life in their extensive ecosystem.

Then on June 14, campers will begin the Animal Expert Week when campers will “adopt” a favorite sea animal to get hands-on experience as a real marine scientist.  Research techniques will include microscopes, behavioral observations, species and anatomy explorations. 

“June 21 is Dive Deep Explorers week. Only five percent of our ocean has been explored, so there’s a big job out there waiting for us,” Ringpfeil said.  “Building a submarine or learning about SCUBA, planning a research mission or instruments to track animals; this will be a new experience for most curious scientists.” 

Each week, camp will include a guest speaker from the field or local special events.  

Children ages 4-8 will meet for camp 9 a.m.-noon, while children ages 9-12 will meet for camp 1-4 p.m. for a four-day camp, Tuesday through Friday. Each four-day week is $100 per camper. This cost can be paid via phone registration, by credit card or check.

Each topic will include opportunities to address the oil spill cause and effect issues in the Gulf of Mexico.  Campers’ use of reusable materials in project building and ocean pollution issues will call attention to environmentally responsible topics.   With interest, camp may be offered two additional weeks, July 12 and July 19.

For information and registration, contact Faulkner State Community College’s Continuing Education Office at 251-990-0445 or Fairhope Community Education 800-231-3752 .  For program and camp questions, contact Belinda Ringpfeil at Oceancamp@gmail.com