It is always a great idea to take some bags with you to clear any bruck you find.  I have attached a multi sheet of Beach Bruck Bingo for anyone who would like to print off a few to make into a game.

It is very dificult to try to convey some sense of scale of the Universe to children, the activity was a way of laying some groundwork.

I derived the activity in Seashore Explorer from a scale which reduced the Sun to 300mm diameter, where the  Earth would be 3mm 121 feet away and the Moon a dot (www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/Numbers/Math/Mathematical).  Another scale would be to imagine the Earth as a basketball, the Moon as a tennis ball and the Sun a large house 3 kilometres away (Prinja 2018).

A couple of resourses if your children have an interest in this is a series of short clips by Professor Brian Cox on the BBC website one of which can be accessed below;

Physics KS3/KS4: Professor Brian Cox - Moons in the solar system

A short description of moons in the solar system including what differentiates a moon from a planet.

BBC

The Science Museum Plaentarium books written by Raman Prinja and beautifully illustrated by Chris Wormell are fab too.  There is a large book, a smaller junior version and an activity book in the series.

Free mark making is our first step towards writing and drawing.  It helps develop gross and fine motor skills.  At the shore there is no need to bring tools; along with their hands, feet and bodies, drift wood, tang or other found objects drag through the surface of sand or shingle.  Water dripped, splattered or poured.  Stones, shells and objects placed.

Working with these natural objects children can experiment and get to know the qualities which are very different to man made toys and tools.  It is som good for children to have lots of time getting to know and experiment with natural materials and as a contrast to the prescriptivness of conventional toys and objects.

A beach is quite likely the largest blank canvas that most people will have access to.

Lines, dots, shapes and patterns.  Abstract or regular.  Wild or gentle.  Loose or meticulous.  Sporadic or considered.  

Experimentation, communication, self expresasion.

And for those with inhibitions this type of creative exercise takes away the fear of a blank piece of paper.  This is an opportunity to have fun being creative without fear of permanency.  This is also a way to loosen up (both mind and muscles) before a more conventional drawing or other creative practise.

Storytelling builds skills; to communicate our thoughts, express ourselves and learn a range of social skills including listening to others and taking turns.

Making up a story can be difficult but the point of ths exercise is to allow your imaginations some freedom without worrying or taking things too seriously.  We can get caught up in the pressure of creating a 'good' story but maybe the value is found in giving it a go and having a good time together.

The articles linked below talk about the increase in levels of eco-anxiety among children, signs of eco-distress and some strategies to support children and young people.  

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/nov/20/half-of-child-psychiatrists-surveyed-say-patients-have-environment-anxiety?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/10/overwhelming-and-terrifying-impact-of-climate-crisis-on-mental-health?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Some key points:

• signs; a low mood, helplessness, anger, insomnia, panic, guilt
• Acknowledge that their concerns make sence, a sign of empathy, that they are a caring person
• Spend time in nature as a family
• Positive actions, as an individual or collectivly
• Are you really listening to your childs concerns?  Make time to listen

We are always looking for the quick way to make our children feel better, but on this subject it is important not to bat away concerns, can we learn together and look for positive environmental actions or stories as well as the big picture.

Can we turn a feelings of hopelessness and vexation into empowerment and possibility?

Grottie-buckie is in John J. Graham's Shetland Dictionary as a "type of cowrie shell (Cypraea europaea)".  Throughout Shetland whether the spelling or pronunciation is grottie or groatie (or even gruttie bukie - J. Saxby, early 20th Century Unst author) we would commonly know this small shell and know the name 'cowrie' too which is the common English word for a species in this genus.  

On a Facebook post I noticed a discussion of other names used in different areas of Shetland: in Whalsay 'hraan', in North Mavine 'whirlie wheeter' and in Yell 'John o' Grot'.  This is a great example that there are often differernt words for the same thing in wir Shetland dialects.  On further reserch it is also a good example of the melting pot of language and the complexity in etymology -

www.dsl.ac.uk

The Dictionaries of the Scots language website is an interesting resource.  It seems the "John o' Groats buckie" name originated from abundant shells found at John o Groats.  Whirlie-wheeter seems to have Scottish origins too and learning this reminded me of the Shetland Scotland migrations esp of the herring indusrty.  Another Scottish word in this dictionary for grotties is Kysies, used near Fraserburgh.

Trivia arctica and trivia monacha, trivia means common (trivial), arctica is of the arctic and monacha, solitary.

www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/2083

Thinking about the creature itself, the Marine Life Information Network is a fantastic resourse for finding out about all different kinds of sea life, detailing where the species are found and with photographs.  Though the best photograph I have seen is by Billy Arthur on the Shetland Birds and Wildlife Facebook page.

On reproduction; the female moluscs lay flask-shaped egg capsules (approx 800 egggs) in holes that they have eaten out of ascidians (sea squirt).

Prefered ascidian prey: botryllus schlosseri, botrylloides leachi, diplosoma listerianum.

plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/782/1/The_British_species_of_trivia_T_

The Plymouth Marine Science Electronic Archive, has an article with line drawings of the free swimming trivia acrtica and monacha larvae, reproductions of which I used in the Seashore Explorer booklet floating around the molusc.