Education Division

DMR's Education Division is currently short-staffed and this page is under construction. You may browse the content, but no field trips or workshops are currently planned for 2021 and no educational services are currently available. The Maine State Aquarium will not be open in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please scroll down the page, or select one of these links:

General Info | Facilities | Programs | Teacher Training | Publications | Lobster Links | More Links | Contact Us

photo courtesy of IB Participation, Inc.

General Information

The Department of Marine Resources' Education Division provides educational services and materials to school children, teachers, and the general public. Staff are dedicated to developing a citizenry that has awareness and appreciation for the marine environment and its resources through programs at the Maine State Aquarium and Burnt Island Lighthouse. Professional development opportunities are available for teachers and the public. Information materials are available below or by request.

Facilities

• Maine State Aquarium, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Will not be open during 2021.
• Burnt Island, Lighthouse, and Education Center, Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Buildings are closed for the winter.

Educational Services are not currently available.

• Field Trips - Plan a spring or fall field trip to the Maine State Aquarium. Teachers can request special programs or activities based on classroom needs or studies. (See Field Trip Information).
• Classroom Resources - Educational resources such as activities, lesson plans, and photographs are available on a variety of ocean-related topics. Email: aquarium@maine.gov.
• Classroom Animal Supply - For teachers with a saltwater tank in the classroom, the Maine State Aquarium will assist in providing live animals. Please call or email aquarium@maine.gov to request specimens. A limited supply may be available.

Teacher Training is not currently available.

• Teacher Re-Certification Workshops - Summer field courses and workshops are available at our Burnt Island facility. For more information, visit the Burnt Island page.

Publications

These publications are available as free, downloadable PDF files, and may require Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader software (download here free) to view or print. Some of the files are quite large.

• Teachers Guide to Marine Life in the Gulf of Maine - It features 24 animals with 4 pages of information and activities for each species including: classification, description, life processes, related species, and detailed anatomical diagrams.. Download the Teacher's Guide here free - pdf file, 110 pages, 2 MB.
• Gulf Of Maine Coloring Book - Illustrations of regional marine life are ready for students to color. Each page includes species identification and suggested colors. Download the Coloring Book here free - pdf file, 23 pages, 486 kb.
• A Lobster's Life Coloring Book - Appropriate for young learners, it provides simple illustrations and text on a lobster’s life history. Download the Lobster Coloring Book here free - pdf file, 13 pages, 5 MB.
• A Guide to Lobstering in Maine - This booklet provides information on the history of lobstering, lobster biology, and lobstering regulations. Download the Lobster Guide here free - pdf file, 24 pages, 1 MB. More information on Maine's lobster is available on DMR's lobster web site.
• Maine Saltwater Angler Guide - This booklet is a beautifully illustrated identification guide of sport-fish species. Download here . Download the Angler Guide here free - pdf file, 40 pages, 6 MB. The guide is also available to view as web pages on DMR's recreational fishing site.
• Green Gold: Maine's Sea Urchin Fishery - This booklet provides information on the sea urchin, fishing industry, and management practices. Download Green Gold here free - pdf file, 36 pages, 2 MB.
• Information and Landings on commercially harvested species are available on the DMR home page under Commercial Fisheries

Links for Educational Lobster Information:

• Bigelow Lab "Hatch to Catch"
• Lobster Conservancy
• Maine Department of Marine Resources, lobster page
• DMR Guide to Lobstering in Maine (PDF, 1 MB)

Other Links for Educators

Here is a list of helpful marine education sites for teachers to utilize in the classroom:

• American Museum of Natural History - Hall of Ocean Life https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/ocean-life/educator-resources
• Aquademics - How to set up an aquarium http://www.tetra-fish.com/learning-center.aspx
• AquaKids http://www.aquakids.tv/
• A-Z Teacher Stuff- Oceans http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Ocean/
• Bigelow Lab for Ocean Sciences http://www.bigelow.org/
• The Bridge http://web.vims.edu/bridge/
• COSEE - Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement http://www.cosee.net/
• Discover Your World With NOAA Activity Book http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/edufun/book/welcome.html
• DLESE- Digital Library for Earth System Education https://diggingintodata.org/repositories/digital-library-earth-system-education-dlese
• Earth Guide http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/
• Education World- Ocean Lesson Plans https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson193.shtml
• Enchanted Learning-Oceans Page http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/
• EPA Water Science Resources http://water.epa.gov/learn/resources/index.cfm
• Florida Panhandle Educational Ocean Activities https://floridapanhandle.com/blog/ocean-activities
• For Sea - Institute for Marine Science http://www.forsea.org/
• Gulf of Maine Marine Life Supply https://gulfofme.com/educational-materials
• Gulf of Maine Research Institute Education Resources https://www.gmri.org/commitments/education/
• Island Institute http://www.islandinstitute.org/
• Jean Michael Cousteau's Ocean Adventures http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/index.html
• Kinder Plans- See the Ocean & Math Theme for Pre-K https://www.kinderplans.com/
• Lesson Planet (Go To Science - Biology - Marine Biology) http://www.lessonplanet.com/
• Maine Public - PBS Learning Network https://mainepublic.pbslearningmedia.org
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Education http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/education
• NASA Science http://nasascience.nasa.gov/
• National Center for Coastal Ocean Science http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/
• National Geographic Xpeditions Education Portal http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/teaching-resources/?ar_a=1
• National Marine Educators Association http://www.marine-ed.org/
• National Marine Sanctuaries Education Pages http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/teachers/
• National Sea Grant Library http://nsgd.gso.uri.edu/
• New England Aquarium Teacher Resource Center https://www.neaq.org/learn/for-teachers/
• New Jersey Sea Grant Marine Science Lesson Plans http://njseagrant.org/education/resources-for-educators/lesson-plans/
• NOAA Education http://www.education.noaa.gov/teachers1.html
• NOAA Ocean Explorer http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/
• Oceans For Life http://www.nationalgeographic.com/seas/html/classroom/matrix.html?printable
• Ocean GLOBE (UCLA) http://www.msc.ucla.edu/oceanglobe/investigations.htm
• Ocean Link! http://www.oceanlink.info
• Oceans Live! http://oceanslive.org
• Ocean Planet (Smithsonian Institute) http://smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/ocean/main.html
• Ocean Data Portal http://www.oceandataportal.net/portal/
• Oceanography Guide for Kids https://www.directvdeals.com/resources/kids-oceanography-activities/
• PBS Nature Site http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/educators.html
• Project Oceanography http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/
• Project Oceanology Teacher Resources http://www.oceanology.org/teachers.html
• Project SeaCamel http://seacamel.livingoceansfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=18
• Scripps Institute for Oceanography - Explorations https://scripps.ucsd.edu/explorations
• S.E.A. K-12 Lesson Plans http://www.sea.edu/academics/k-12
• Sea Turtle printables (free) https://www.buyrope.co.uk/free-sea-turtle-printables/
• Sea World Teacher Resources http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld_teachers/teacher-resources/#
• Shark Research Institute http://www.sharks.org/#
• SSWIMS Lesson Plans http://www.msc.ucla.edu/sswims/Implementationplans.htm
• Tramline - Oceans! http://www.field-trips.org/sci/oceank/index.htm
• Treasures at Sea http://learn.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98/
• The University of Arizona - Marine Discovery Lesson Plans http://marinediscovery.arizona.edu/lessons.html
• Visit to an Ocean Planet http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/files/archive/activities.html
• WhaleNET Resources https://www2.whalenet.org/whalenet-stuff/curriculum.html 
• Wyland Foundation https://wylandfoundation.org/programs/teacher-resources/

Contact Us

• Please contact Amy Swan with questions or comments.
• Please contact the DMR webmaster if any of the above links fail.