ABQ BioPark hosts first Aquarium Home-School Day

The halls of the ABQ BioPark Aquarium were filled with the sounds of fast-moving feet and the curious voices of schoolchildren on Tuesday as the park hosted its first-ever Aquarium Home-School Day.

“We figured the big home-school population in Albuquerque is an underserved population and, from what I’ve heard, there’s not enough resources for them,” said Chazz Peterson, ABQ BioPark’s school and youth coordinator. “So we thought it would be really cool to have a special day for them.”

Arriving at the attraction, children and their family members were given a grade level-appropriate scavenger hunt worksheet to fill out as they walked through the exhibit. BioPark volunteers staffed table-display “discovery stations” spread about the venue, where children could take part in interactive activities focusing on various aquatic animals.

ABQ BioPark volunteer Barbara Jackson was in charge of the sea and lake otter station, where children could feel the difference between an otter’s winter and summer coats and hold an otter skull.

“It’s always good to work with the kiddos,” Jackson said. “They’re open to interpretation and eager to learn the facts.”

At other stations, children held eggs laid by penguins and other birds, touched and examined different parts of a shark’s anatomy and created arts and crafts in the form of sea coral.

Among those taking advantage of the discovery stations and home-school day were Melissa Jaramillo and her three sons, David, Jacob and Barayden.

David, Jaramillo’s oldest son, called the event “awesome” and, when asked how he would rate it on a scale from 1 to 10, called it a “10.”

While her boys had all been to the aquarium before, Jaramillo said the stations and the organized activities made it a more educational and interactive experience.

“I think the extra resources and people answering questions was cool,” she said. “The community is doing things to get (home-school) families involved, and they don’t usually get those opportunities.”

Antionette Sena echoed Jaramillo’s statement. She began home-schooling her son Joshua in the past year and was told about the event by a friend. Knowing how much Joshua loved sharks, she felt it was the perfect event to attend.

“Events in the community for home-schooled kids to be able to learn and meet other kids and families is awesome,” Sena said.

Peterson said the BioPark plans to host two more home-school day events in coming months. One centered around the zoo is scheduled for April, while a garden-themed day is set for August.