Shelby the Loggerhead (storybook guide)
Hello, hello! I'm Shelby, a storybook loggerhead who loves a good shoreline.
Imaginary example: I can talk because I'm a cartoon guide. The facts in this quest come from real sources. Our first mystery: what is an island made of, and why does it keep changing?
Is an island just a pile of sand?
Kiawah Island is a barrier island. Its sand is always moving, so the island is always changing. A good scientist can tell what is true today from what might change tomorrow.
What is a barrier island?
A barrier island is a constantly changing deposit of sand that forms parallel to the coast. Parallel means it runs alongside the shore, like a stripe.
How does one form?
Waves repeatedly deposit sand and mud (sediment) along the shoreline. Barrier islands constantly move, erode, and grow.
Two different sides
The ocean-facing side has beaches and sand dunes. The mainland-facing side has marshes, tidal flats, and maritime forests.
Who lives here?
Barrier islands give important habitat to seabirds, fish and shellfish, and nesting sea turtles.
Kiawah Beachwalker Park
Beachwalker Park is at 8 Beachwalker Drive. It is the only public beach access on Kiawah Island.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Ocean-facing side or Mainland-facing side of a barrier island.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Estimate or Exact count.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Real fact from our sources or Imaginary example.
Tap a card, then tap the bin it belongs in: Good beach choice or Not allowed / not safe.
Tap the ONE part of the island that has the beach and sand dunes.
Tap the ONE part of the island that is a marsh on the mainland-facing side.
Tap the ONE part that is the tidal creek separating the island from the mainland.
Rivet the Snake (storybook guide)
Ssssup! I'm Rivet, a storybook snake who loves a sunny dune.
Imaginary example: I'm a cartoon. Real dune grass is much more important than any snake story. How does a hill of sand hold together at all?
How do sea oats and dunes protect an island?
Dunes may look like plain piles of sand, but they have a big job. With help from sea oats they trap sand and soak up storm waves. That is why boardwalks lead people over the dunes instead of through them.
Sea oats build dunes
Sea oats catch blowing sand and build sand dunes, so they help dunes form and stay in place.
Tough grass
Sea oats are perennial grasses that grow up to six feet tall. They can handle salt spray and sunny, sandy ground.
Dunes soak up storms
Dunes and their grasses act a bit like styrofoam. They give a little and mostly absorb the force of storm winds and waves.
Dune neighbors
Sea oats give food and shelter to shore birds, songbirds, and small animals.
Protect them
Sea oats are a protected grass in several southeastern states, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Beachwalker's rule
At Beachwalker Park, trespassing on dunes is prohibited by law and can bring fines. The park has a boardwalk and an accessible ramp.
Tap the ONE plant that catches blowing sand and helps build the dune.
Tap the ONE walkway that lets people cross the dune without stepping on it.
Tap the ONE sandy hill that soaks up the force of storm waves and wind.
Comet the Unicorn (Imaginary example)
Imaginary example: Comet the unicorn trotted in from a story, not real life, to help with tide math.
Comet loves numbers almost as much as sparkly hooves. Let's read the beach with numbers!
Can numbers help us read the beach?
Tides, turtle nests, and boardwalks are all full of numbers. Keep scratch paper nearby. The real numbers come from NOAA and SC DNR. Every made-up problem is labeled Imaginary example.
NOAA says high tides come about 12 hours and 25 minutes apart, and the water takes about 6 hours to go from high tide to low tide. Tides are caused by the pull of the moon and the sun.
Piper the Sandpiper (storybook guide)
Peep-peep! I'm Piper, a storybook sandpiper who runs along the waterline.
Imaginary example: I'm a cartoon, but the beach neighbors in this chapter are real. Who lives here, and what do they need?
Who shares the beach with us?
The beach is more than sand. It is a home and a nursery for turtles, birds, and shell makers. Some of them struggle when people change things, so scientists look at the evidence before they decide how to help.
Loggerhead nests
In South Carolina, loggerhead nesting runs from mid-May to mid-August. The average nest has about 120 eggs, which take about 55 to 60 days to hatch.
Big turtle, tough jaws
Adult loggerheads are about 2.5 to 3.5 feet long and weigh 200 to 350 pounds. They eat hard-shelled prey such as whelks and conch.
Protected
The loggerhead sea turtle was listed as threatened on July 28, 1978.
Lights and hatchlings
Hatchlings are drawn to the blue and green light that bounces off the ocean. A brighter artificial light can pull them the wrong way. Flashlights, lanterns, and bonfires can confuse them too.
Where river meets sea
Estuaries are found where rivers meet the sea. They hold brackish water, a mix of fresh water from land and salty seawater.
Shells
Shells are made of calcium carbonate by soft-bodied mollusks. Bivalves (like clams and oysters) have two shells. Gastropods (like snails) have one.
Shorebirds
South Carolina is a stop-over place where flocks of shorebirds rest and fuel up on long migrations, and a winter home for many.
Shelby the Loggerhead (storybook guide)
Shelby again! Storybook loggerheads love a good experiment.
Imaginary example: I'm a cartoon, but this experiment is real. Let's see whether sticks can hold sand when the wind blows.
Can plants really hold sand in place?
Sea oats catch blowing sand and help build dunes. You can model that idea with a tray, a straw, and some sticks. A model shows one part of the story, not the whole beach.
Predict
Make a small pile of dry sand in the tray. Predict what will happen to the sand when you blow across it through the straw. Then predict what will change if you poke craft sticks into a second pile.
Observe
Blow gently across the first pile for 10 seconds. Look at where the sand moved. Build a new pile of the same size, poke in the sticks, and blow for 10 seconds again.
Reason
Compare the two piles. The straw stands for wind. The sticks stand for dune plants. A tray model shows only one part of how real sea oats catch sand.
Tap two items to swap them until they are in the order you would do the experiment, then check your order.
Tap two items to swap them until they are in the order they happen in a loggerhead's early life, then check your order.
Sort each statement: True about this model or Not quite right.
Tap a card, then tap the bin for the real thing it stands for in the model.
Clover the Horse (storybook guide)
Neigh! I'm Clover, a storybook horse who loves a long beach ride.
Imaginary example: I'm a cartoon, so I can't really come along. Let's pack your field guide before we trot out to see the real beach.
Build a field guide. Test a claim.
A scientist brings questions to the field instead of deciding the answers beforehand. Draw what you expect, pick what to investigate, and bring your field guide with you.
Tap exactly THREE things you want to investigate at the real park.
Observe, measure, and compare. Protect the dunes.
Shelby the Loggerhead (storybook guide)
Splash-tastic! You've collected every shell token.
Now go test your thinking at the real beach, then come tell me what you found.
Certified Barrier Island Explorer
You've practiced making predictions, analyzing evidence, calculating with real data, and comparing habitats. Now test your thinking in the field.