Seining the Bay program offered at Delaware Seashore park

Ever wonder what’s swimming below the surface in a beautiful salt-water bay? Delaware Seashore State Park is inviting the public to participate in a hands-on program using seine nets to discover the near-shore marine life that inhabits Rehoboth Bay.

Park naturalists will conduct seining programs on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 2 to 3 p.m. The final sessions will be held on Aug. 22, 24 and 25. Especially popular with young people, seining provides an opportunity to identify various fish, crabs, snails and other organisms that call the Rehoboth Bay home, and talk about what they eat and how they survive. Participants will help pull a 20- to 30-foot net through calm, shallow water and carefully place the catch into tubs for a close-up study.

Closed-toe shoes are required for all who will enter the water, and sunscreen is encouraged for everyone. The program fee is $4 per person, and pre-registration is required. Delaware Seashore State Park encompasses the beaches, bay and marshes from Dewey Beach extending south to Bethany Beach. Call the Indian River Life-Saving Station at (302) 227-6991 to register or for more information on this or other Delaware Seashore State Park programs.

Make-Your-Own Sea Glass Jewelry Pendant

Whether they’re beachcombers or jewelry lovers, the public can join the staff at the Indian River Life-Saving Station for an afternoon of transforming pretty pieces of sea glass into wearable art. On Tuesday, Aug. 21, at 10:30 a.m., participants can learn how to make a simple wire-wrap pendant with sea glass.

The Indian River Life-Saving Station will provide choices of wire, tools and basic instructions to fashion the pendants. Participants are being encouraged to bring found pieces of sea glass, however sea glass can be provided. The cost for the program is $15 and includes all materials.

The Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum is located in Delaware Seashore State Park, 2 miles north of the Indian River Inlet and 3.5 miles south of Dewey Beach. Space and materials are limited, so pre-register by calling (302) 227-6991.

Little Keepers Preschool – Hermit Crabs

The staff of the Indian River Life-Saving Station is inviting the public to the next Little Keepers program, Hermit Crabs, on Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m., at which participants will be learning about hermit crabs. The little crusty beach creatures have a hard shell, except for their abdomen, and so have adapted by living in the discarded shells of others. As a hermit crab grows, a larger shell is needed. Being very opportunistic, the little guys are always looking for a new place to call home.

Specifically targeted for 3- to 5-year-olds, Little Keepers programs feature stories, crafts and activities that explore place-based science and history topics. The cost of each program is $3 per child, and all materials are included. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is required.

The program meets at the Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum, located 3.5 miles south of Dewey Beach and 1.5 miles north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge. More information about this or other programs held at Delaware Seashore State Park is available from the Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum at (302) 227-6991 or destateparks.com./programs.

Parkgoers can make their own monkey-fist keychains

The Indian River Life-Saving Station will host a Monkey Fist Keychain class on Tuesday, Aug. 28, at 10 a.m. The class combines history with a craft participants can make as a one-of-a-kind handmade gift. The program fee is $10 and covers both materials and instruction. Participants must be at least 12 years old. Space and materials are limited, so pre-registration is required.

In the 1800s, sailors deftly used and created various working and decorative knots. Out of all of them, the monkey fist had special significance to them because its use signaled the end of a long sea voyage. A monkey fist was used to give weight to small heaving ropes so they could be tossed to shore and provide contact with the pier where the ship was secured in port. Along with that use, the monkey fist knot was also thought to ward off evil; it was given to a friend as an old-fashioned way of showing someone how much they meant to them.

Delaware Seashore State Park will provide all the materials and staff will teach participants how to make their very own monkey fist keychain to keep or share. The program will meet at Indian River-Life Saving Station Museum, which is located on Route 1 in Delaware Seashore State Park, 2 miles north of the Indian River Inlet and 3.5 miles south of Dewey Beach. For more information or to register for the program, call (302) 227-6991.

Little Keepers to learn about Heroes

The staff of the Indian River Life-Saving Station is inviting the public to the next Little Keepers program, Heroes of the Beach, on Wednesday, Aug. 29, at 10 a.m., at which staff will talk about the Surfmen of the United States Lifesaving Service who lived and worked at the Indian River Lifesaving Station. During the program, participants will tour the station and learn what it was like to be a “hero of the beach.”

Specifically targeted for 3- to 5-year-olds, Little Keepers programs feature stories, crafts and activities that explore place-based science and history topics. The cost of each program is $3 per child, and all materials are included. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is required.

The program meets at the Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum, located 3.5 miles south of Dewey Beach and 1.5 miles north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge. More information about this or other programs held at Delaware Seashore State Park is available from the Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum at (302) 227-6991 or www.destateparks.com/programs.