Science at Sandy Point Beach

Sandy Point Beach is the perfect place to expose children to introductory geologic processes and to get a close-up look at some super cool ocean creatures.  Located across the bridge at the entrance of Cousin's Island, Sandy Point Beach is one of Yarmouth's hidden gems.  

View of the bridge from the beach

My first visit-of many- was after I was tipped off by a friend who had heard me complaining that I had been in Maine for a whole year without getting to see starfish.  I'm not sure if she was trying to quiet my whining or help me out, but I will forever be thankful that she pointed me in the right direction!

                           White Egret in the Summer

One of many starfish

Sandy Point Beach has a small parking lot and rarely gets very crowded. Although some people use it as a "beach" area in the summer for swimming and soaking up the rays, I prefer to visit during low tide with a bucket, shovel, net, maginifying glass, and picnic.  The short path down to the beach leads you to the long strip of beach.  To the left are some great rocks to climb on that provide great samples of white quartz; to the right is a narrow beach providing many nooks and crannies to explore along the high tide line.  If you look closely at the sand along the high tide line (most clearly visible as you first enter the beach) you will find patchy areas of a purplish hue.  The purple color is from flakes of garnet that have been broken up and deposited on the beach.

Moon snail (I think) that was 5 inches across.

At low tide there is a large sand pit that stretches out across the water.  It is amazing to walk out to the tip of this sand and show your child the way the current moves around the sand, depositing it into this sand bar formation visible at low tide.   Dylan still remembers how water carries sand and makes beach and sand bars because he clearly saw it in action.  Walking along the edge of the water you can see where the current has gently placed layers of sand mounds under the shallow water.  

Sand bar at low tide

Look closer and you will see that the waving seaweed is home to more crabs than you can count.  Be careful though because sometimes we find some with pinchers! Allow yourself the time to look even closer and you find starfish swaying along the bottom, giant snails burrowing into the shelter of the sand, and a variety of shellfish.  Sandy Point Beach makes these discoveries effortless!

Have net and bucket, will explore

One of my favorite memories of this area was just a few weeks ago when Dylan and I decided that a drizzly, foggy day was the perfect time to visit one of our favorite spots.  Donning our rain jackets, rain boots, and gloves we walked down the snowy path to the water, our warm faces soon blanketed by the misty air.  The bridge was barely visible through the fog and the tide was coming in.  Dylan Thomas and I held hands and managed to walk only 10 yards down the beach before the wind picked up slightly.  Fearing that this was a "bad mom moment" and that Dylan was going to quickly transform  into a sick, frozen popsicle I turned to tell him it was time to leave.  

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

Dylan had sat down on one of the rocks and was intently watching a group of ducks floating over the water within our pocket of vision carved out by the intense fog.  Suddenly, the ducks started making alarming noises and skitted quickly along the water and off into the trees.  "Mommy, look.  It's a bald eagle."  In disbelief, I followed Dylan's eyes to where he was looking. Time stopped for a moment as we watched a beautiful bald eagle gracefully glide, uncaring of our presence, across the water within 20 feet of where we were sitting.   The great outdoors has its way of providing us with experiences that are both unpredictable and unforgettable and Sandy Point Beach is no exception.  Check it out!

For more information on the geological processes evidenced at Sandy Point Beach, check out http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/surficial/sites/apr08.htm.

Enjoying Maine

Parenting is personal.   It’s one of life’s grayest areas where there are no “right” answers, where individual life experiences and expectations mold our parenting styles, and where personal philosophies and beliefs lead us through reflective discussions with friends and family on how to best raise our children.  My closest friends and I have varying viewpoints on many things:  bedtime procedures & times, nutritional needs, and discipline techniques. When discussing whether or not kids spend too much time indoors there is always uniform agreement; along with stories of our youthful days spent exploring in nature.  Luckily, spending time with your children outdoors is easy as long as you pack some curiosity, a little patience, a dash of imagination, and know where to go! 

This summer, I have been a woman on a mission:  Enjoy Maine!  Our family has committed to visiting one new Maine State Park a week.  We picked up a green State Park Passport from a ranger in which we stamp each new park visited and keep some brief notes on each trip’s adventures.  Throughout the upcoming months, I’d like to share a few of our favorite places with you and I hope that you will share some of your family’s hidden treasures with me. 

My newest favorite place in Maine, which changes almost weekly it seems, is Reid State Park located on Sequinland Road in Georgetown and approximately one hour from Portland.   There are two beaches there, Mile Beach and Half-Mile Beach, offering large rock outcrops, meandering streams winding down to the ocean, viewings of the endangered piping plovers and least terns, and more tidal pools than one could explore in a day.  Both the lifeguard and the ranger told me that it rarely gets crowded, making this even more of a gem!  Our favorite part of Reid State Park was the “Lagoon” area, which I have nicknamed “Children’s Paradise”.  I highly suggest that you check the tide charts (http://www.maineboats.com/tide-charts/southcoast) and go at low tide. This area is home to a wave-less lagoon off to the right of the parking lot, a concession stand, and a bathroom/shower area.  The spot we spent the most time at was to the left of the parking lot.  At low tide, there is a sandy beach and large rocks for exploring.   The water is shallow enough (only reached my three year old’s knees) to walk across to other rock outcrops that Dylan called “islands”.   You might want to bring a bucket, a magnifying glass, and a net.  We were able to find various crab species, sea urchins, periwinkles, tiny fish, and watched another family find a baby lobster.  It was great for Dylan to learn how to observe an animal carefully and caringly before returning it to its home.  Such a special and kid-friendly place for observing the ocean world!  Happy exploring!