Learning & Fun For The Kids In Southern California – Crystal Cove State Park

Crystal Cove State Park is a fun beach and state managed park located off the popular and famous Pacific Coast highway and situated between Laguna Beach in the south and Corona del Mar north of the park. This is a fun park that provide tidepools, sandy beaches, soft hills, and forest covered canyons.

Being from Oregon, one thing we would do for fun was to visit our Oregon coast beaches. While they are not as warm and the water not as inviting, they were great for exploring sea creatures in the life-laden tide pools. There are many differences between Oregon and Southern California, with the biggest being temperatures and population.

With so many people its important that the public have access to local beaches and even more important is having access to tidepools for educational learning by young students and children. Crystal Cove has 3.2 miles of beach, 2,400 acres of backcountry wooded terrain, as well as an awesome offshore underwater area to explore for scuba divers and snorkeling.

While we kept it simple with the kids, they had a blast just walking the beach and playing around on the rocks that occupy the sandy shores. These rocks are important for many reasons, one of the most important is for tide pools that are home to life.

However, life is not abundant and many beaches we have visited show little signs of life unfortunately. So our 4 year old is going to share some tips on how to protect sea life! Its not just the smart thing to do, its the LAW!

Follow the rules and help our beaches and learn how-to protect tidepools. As stated at most beaches, and all marine protected areas, ABSOLUTELY NO COLLECTING!

• Never remove animals, shells, or rocks from the tide pools
• Never pickup animals, observe them where they are.
• Walk gently, taking care not to step on plants or animals.
• Never turn over rocks!

However, if you really want to collect something, you can keep your eyes open for loose drift wood and sea glass. Sea glass is not natural, it is simple broken pieces of glass that have been weathered in the ocean and wash up on shore. The glass is worn giving it a smooth appearance without the sharp edges. Mia helped me find some examples and samples or what drift wood and sea glass is.

It is important we take our kids to see these magnificent areas and to learn about protecting the beaches and to see what they are protecting. We teach them to leave things for others to enjoy and they have no problem doing their part. Afterall they want to see these places when they are grown ups.

Find out more about Crystal Cove and the Crystal Cove Historic District. There are educational and community programs, and even vintage cottages for overnight public use.