From the depths of the ocean to the classroom, this is what October was like for us!

We brought the science center to Kristiansund

One of the coolest things we do is bring the science center to children and young people who don't necessarily have the opportunity to visit us in Ålesund. Thanks to support from Tekna, we have been able to spread knowledge and the joy of science far beyond the walls of Atlanterhavsparken. In October, we packed the car and headed for Kristiansund, where in one week we visited six schools and met a total of 923 students and 77 teachers! It was a week filled with experiments, programming and creative challenges. 220 students got to try their hand at programming with Sphero Indi robot cars, 280 students built marble tracks, and 210 students explored geometry by constructing with tetrahedrons. We also got to program SuperBit together with two school classes.

It's incredibly fun to see what happens when students get to try, fail, collaborate and find solutions themselves. Sometimes it's the simplest ideas that impress us the most! We would therefore like to extend a big thank you to Frei elementary school, Innlandet school, Bjerkelund school, Rensvik school, Atlanten middle school and Nordlandet middle school for welcoming us. We hope we managed to arouse a little extra curiosity for science!

"Knowledge and curiosity should not depend on where you live. With support from Tekna, we can bring the joy of science out of Atlanterhavsparken and meet children and young people where they are.”

Autumn holiday with both slime and treasure hunt

October started with autumn holidays, and we noticed that very well. Atlanterhavsparken ! We had many curious visitors, young and old, who got to try everything from slime production and programming to science shows and treasure hunts. Several also got to join us behind the scenes at Behind the Scenes, where we showed a little more of the work that goes on when the public is not watching. And of course there were extra breakfast feedings! There is something very special about starting the day with our animals.

While there was a lot of activity here at our place, the science gang also went on several after-school visits, where we brought experiments and science fun to the children. We think it's just as much fun to visit as to have visitors!

Exciting things are happening behind the scenes!

Although there is a lot of activity out there among the public, there is also a lot of exciting things happening in the areas you don't usually get to see. We have started growing our very own jellyfish! In the back room, the little jellyfish have their own system, where we can follow their development and give them good conditions to grow. This is something we have been working towards for a long time, and it is incredibly exciting to see the first results.

We have also made some changes to our aquariums. In Havnasjonen we have installed a new kelp forest, and several of the aquariums have received more seaweed and coral. There are many small details that are needed to create good and lifelike environments for our animals, and this is something we are constantly working on developing. Maybe you will discover something new the next time you visit us?

A slightly more unusual project has also taken place in the eel tank. In connection with Halloween, our sea eels were served a whole mackerel sturgeon head! It may sound a bit mackerel, but sea eels are actually scavengers, and dead animals are a natural part of their diet. Throughout Halloween week, visitors could therefore see how nature's own scavengers take care of a real feast.

"Perhaps this is precisely what makes Atlanterhavsparken so special. One day we explore life beneath the ocean's surface, the next we bring science to hundreds of students. No two days are exactly the same, but the curiosity is always the same.”

Many curious students visiting

October has also been a busy month for those who work with education at our school. We have had visits from 5th graders from Flisnes, Blindheim, Larsgården, Hatlane, Lerstad and Emblem school on Havdag, where the students have been able to explore life in the sea and learn more about what is found just off our coast. 7th graders from Valderøy and Langevåg have been learning about the sea and the environment, while Ålesund International School has been involved in both Coastal Constructions and Behind the Scenes.

There has also been a lot of activity at Møre Havlab! Students from grades 8 and 9 at the Academy got to dissect their own fish through the teaching program "The Tree of Life", and we had a visit from 11 students from VG2 aquaculture at Stranda Upper Secondary School. They got to dissect salmon and get to know the fish they will be working with in the future. We think it's extra fun when the students get to use their hands and explore for themselves. After all, it's something different to learn about how a fish is built when you actually get to see it with your own eyes!

We have also brought students from Ung Restaurant at Borgund Upper Secondary School out to Breisundet with our own aquarium chef, Ole. Here the students got to get up close to the sea and the ingredients that are found right outside our door. It is great to be able to show the connection between life in the sea, the food we eat and the resources we have along the coast.

Science fun (also for teachers)!

This month we have also been to Hatlane School and completed Module 2 of our teacher training course. Here the teachers got to try out different experiments and practical activities that they can take back to the classroom. For us, it is not just about teaching science, but also about showing how fun it can be to explore it.

We also went to Ålesund Library and Skodje Library during Girl Tech, where programming was on the program. In addition, we have had pleasant visits from Midtbyen kindergarten, Barnas hage and 20 children and young people from a network group for the hearing impaired. And in between all this, we have even managed to test Py-planes with new landing mats. Not everything always goes according to plan when we test new things, but that's kind of the point of science!

We ended the month by waking the dead!

Of course, we couldn't let October go by without some Halloween fun. On Friday, October 30th, we brought a Halloween-inspired science show to Rørstadmarkahallen, before continuing the celebration at home at Atlanterhavsparken Saturday, October 31st. And who showed up? None other than Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, who had risen from the dead for the occasion! It was two days of experiments, surprises and lots of laughter. A rather fitting end to a month where we have been experimenting with so many different things!

"Who says science has to be serious? When Einstein and Marie Curie rise from the dead to put on a science show, we know that Halloween is Atlanterhavsparken has become something entirely of its own!

We also had a slightly more unusual feature in the eel tank during Halloween week. We placed a whole mackerel sturgeon head in the aquarium, so that visitors could watch how our sea eels were preparing their meal. It may sound a bit mackerel-like, but sea eels are actually scavengers, and dead animals are a natural part of their diet. The mackerel sturgeon head therefore became a real feast for the eels, while at the same time giving the audience an exciting insight into how nature's own clean-ups work beneath the surface of the sea. A slightly different, but quite appropriate way to celebrate Halloween!

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Thank you for an eventful October!

When we sit down and look back at the month, it's almost a little hard to understand how much we've actually accomplished. From school visits to Nordmøre to small jellyfish in the back room, from fish dissection to Halloween shows. It's precisely this variety that makes everyday life at Atlanterhavsparken so exciting.

And although much of what we do is about fish, the ocean and natural science, perhaps most of all it is about the people we meet. Curious children, committed teachers, visiting families and everyone who asks questions we may not have even thought of ourselves.

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by, welcomed us or participated in our activities in October. Now we are already well into November, and we look forward to showing you what is happening next, both in front of and behind the scenes at Atlanterhavsparken !

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