Eighth grade Earth and Space Sciences Honors students in Ms. Bellucci’s and Ms. Sebastiano’s classes took a field trip to Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, where classroom lessons came to life through hands-on exploration.

Guided by naturalists from Nassau BOCES, students traveled to several locations throughout the park, including the salt marsh and intertidal zone. Along the way, they observed geological features they had studied in class, including glacial erratics — large boulders transported by glacial ice. Students also used magnets to separate the magnetic mineral magnetite from beach sand and investigated the plants and animals that call the coastal ecosystem home.

For many students, the opportunity to explore nature up close was a highlight of the day.

“We smashed sedimentary rocks together to look for fossils inside,” said Sean Sutton.

Students also discovered a variety of marine life hidden beneath the rocks. “We lifted up rocks and found crabs underneath,” said Thomas Nappi. “If the crab has a lighthouse shape on the bottom, it’s a male. If it has a circle on the bottom, it’s a female.”

Connor McDermott enjoyed examining the rocks from a different perspective. “I cracked open a rock and the inside looked like a beef wellington,” he said. “The circular outside was white and the inside was brown. It was perfectly medium rare.”

At the salt marsh, students learned about changing tides and the movement of groundwater. “We saw the salt marsh and the naturalist told us that the water table increases during high tide and decreases during low tide,” said Ahsan Saleem. “When we jumped, the ground felt hollow.”

Students also participated in activities that connected science with history and creativity. “I really liked the face painting,” said Vivian Heron. “We rubbed two rocks together with water and it created red clay that we used to paint symbols.”

Ellie Nikiforidis agreed, adding, “The face painting was the best part of the trip!”

Other discoveries included finding slipper shells along the shoreline. “We found slipper shells, which are shells that look like you could put your foot in like a slipper for a Barbie,” said Liv Miller.

Students also investigated tidal changes firsthand by creating a marker along the shore. “We built a tide marker out of sticks and rocks,” said Madison Gao. “When we came back an hour later, it was slightly under water, which meant the tide came in.”

The field trip provided students with valuable real-world experiences that reinforced concepts they have studied throughout the year. As they prepare for the Earth and Space Sciences Regents Exam on June 18, they will be able to apply many of the observations and investigations from their day at Caumsett to their understanding of Earth’s dynamic systems.