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Saving Sand Dollars

July 27, 2014 Claire Annette Noland 5 Comments

IMG_3809-300px Most people are familiar with the story of a beachcomber who encounters a child on the beach surrounded by starfish. The child is tossing starfish one by one into the ocean. The beachcomber asks the child why he is bothering to toss starfish back since there are so many it won’t make a difference. The child replies, while tossing a starfish into the ocean, “well, it makes all the difference to this one.”

Walking on Cayucos beach recently, we found the beach covered with hundreds of sand dollars. An extremely high tide followed by a very low tide resulted in numerous sand dollars stranded on the beach. Many had died but we found quite a few still alive. Although the original intent had been to exercise, the walk turned into a rescue operation. We scooped up as many live sand dollars as possible and returned them to the sea. Did we save them all? No, but I like to believe we made a difference to a few.
IMG_4201
Sand dollars are marine animals with hard bodies covered by short dark purple spines (top). They are echinoderms and are related to starfish and sea urchins. Sand dollars live on the sandy sea floor. The white sand dollars found on beaches are actually the skeletons of sand dollars (bottom).

Have you ever rescued a sea animal you’ve found on the beach?

For more information about sand dollars take a look at
http://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/sand-dollars-are-sea-urchins-please.html

The starfish story is adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977)

sand dollar legendThe Legend of the Sand Dollar is a fitting picture book for the Easter season as it uses a sand dollar to explain the story of Christ’s suffering and resurrection.
Written by Chris Auer and illustrated by Rick Johnson Zonderkidz ages 4-8

Filed Under: Books, Citizen Science, Field Trips, Places Tagged With: Cayucos Beach, Legend of the Sand Dollar, Sand Dollars, The Star Thrower

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. evelyneholingue says

    July 29, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    Lovely post about some of the loveliest things we can find on a beach. It must have been amazing to see so many on the Cayucos’s beach. I’ve never seen any still alive. Bravo to you for saving some! I like how you link your persaonal experience to a children’s book. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      July 30, 2014 at 4:32 am

      Isn’t it fun to find treasures on the beach? Have you been beach combing in Maine? Makes me think of Gift From the Sea. I think it is time to re-read this gem of a book.

      Reply
  2. Susan Marlow says

    September 6, 2014 at 6:09 pm

    I love your blog, Claire, and I love sand dollars! As kids we used to collect them on Puget Sound. We saw live ones at the zoo in the touch and feel tank when my kids were little. What blog is this? Word press? Blogger? Something else? I like the layout very much. Is it easy to manage? I signed up for your email notifications.

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      September 11, 2014 at 6:08 pm

      Hi Susan,
      Isn’t it fun to find treasures on the beach?
      This is a wordpress blog. I worked with a designer I found online to help me set it up. I am not a techie person so I am always learning something new.
      Thanks for visiting and I’ll be visiting Andi’s blog at http://www.circlecadventures.com/

      Reply
  3. Umina Beach says

    January 22, 2018 at 4:36 am

    Hi Claire,
    It’s amazing how you treasured things both living and non-living. You really have an eye of what it needs to be treasured. Continue your collections of precious things around you.

    Reply

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Hello. I’m Claire Annette - reader, writer, teacher, and field trip planner extraordinaire. Here at A Field Trip Life you will find ideas for adventures large and small and the kids’ books that inspire them. Sign your permission slip. Let's go!

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claireannettenolandbooks

Author | teacher | Field Trip Planner
books that take you places
Raven’s Gift
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It’s the last day of summer and a great mail day It’s the last day of summer and a great mail day!
I returned home from the @SCBWICENCAL Writer’s Day to a full mailbox.
I first opened a lovely letter from my dear pen pal friend, Naida. We met when I was new to town because the mail carrier kept delivering mail to the wrong houses. Naida lived at 1203 Campus and I lived around the corner at 1203 Westwood. We bonded over letters and continue to this day (we do love seeing each other in person often).
I also opened a package containing SUNFLOWER HOUSES by Sharon Lovejoy. Years ago, I visited Sharon’s shop, Heart’s Ease in the beautiful town of Cambria. I took the children there to wander the gardens and be inspired to grow our own. We enjoyed her Fairy Festival and whenever I saw her, I knew she was someone I would love to have as a friend. And now we are which makes me so happy!
Finally, I opened an envelope to discover THE SUMMER BOOK, 30th Anniversary edition, by Susan Branch. I think we have made everything in our original copy, and I read it cover-to-cover. I own all of her books, but this is my favorite. Now I can gift the new edition to my children who are making their own memories with their families. Hopefully, I will meet Susan one day as she has moved back to Central California and is a friend of Sharon’s.
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