About This Lesson
Use this outdoor lesson when teaching about wetlands, aquatic habitats, blue crabs, animal structures, life cycles, food
webs, or responsible interactions with wildlife.
Students visit the school-owned wetland and participate in a supervised crabbing activity using simple hand lines, bait, and
long-handled nets. Students learn how blue crabs live in coastal wetlands and how their external structures help them
move, feed, protect themselves, and survive.
While crabbing, students observe the wetland and look for evidence of blue crabs and other organisms. If a crab is caught,
students observe its body structures before an adult carefully returns it to the wetland.
The activity emphasizes observation and exploration. Catching a crab is not required for students to successfully complete
the lesson.
