Kids in Sea Cliff recycle today for a better tomorrow

The sheer disgust that spread across the children’s faces when they saw trash dispersed on their beloved Sea Cliff Beach was unmistakable. “We have to clean up the beach or the animals will go away,” Alyssa Scheirmen shouted.

“And the hermit crabs will get big, heavy pieces of garbage stuck in their little claws,” Jackson Chalson said, sharing a similar concern as his friend.

Putting the children’s minds at ease was Caroline Dougherty from Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery. She informed the group that she purposefully placed the garbage on the beach. “We’re going to work together to practice putting trash where it belongs, and learn about how important it is to recycle,” she said, beginning another installment of the Sea Cliff MAKEshop’s Beach Science series.

Founded three years ago by Sara Jones and Pooja Vira, the Sea Cliff MAKEshop offers hands-on STEM activities for children of all ages. From an assortment of classes to community-oriented events, the MAKEshop seeks to inspire children to learn, discover, and problem-solve creatively. Beach Science is yet another way to get kids thinking, especially during the summer months when school is out.

“The residents of Sea Cliff see how the MAKEshop adds to children’s learning opportunities,” Jones said. “They support us in so many ways.”

Sea Cliff’s civic association helped to fund Beach Science, allowing for professionals to work with children on programs that they themselves find exciting.

Children not only love the hour-long sessions that take place on Friday mornings, they also jump at the chance to participate, and respond to questions with impressive answers.

Dougherty’s lesson on July 27 focused on recycling and why garbage is dangerous for animals. When she asked, “What is recycling?” every single child’s hand shot up. “Recycling is when objects are reused again,” said Keira Rechsteiner.

As they watched their children engage in a game of sorting recyclables, parents looked forward to encouraging their kids to put the lessons they learned into practice. “It’s so important that the kids are taught about keeping the environment clean,” said Jasmine Gertsen. “This is something they take with them into their elementary schools and homes, and also share with their friends.”

As Beach Science came to a close, Dougherty tasked the children to always ask themselves, “Can I recycle this?” before throwing something away and encouraged parents to bring their own bags to the store to reduce waste.

“Recycling can seem overwhelming at first, and I know that from my own experiences,” Dougherty said. “But, if there’s one thing I want the kids to walk away knowing today, it’s that every little thing counts.”