By Jordan Gerard
Dive into our oceans with a new activity and coloring book, “Exploring Our Amazing Oceans.” June 8 is World Oceans Day and June is National Oceans Month. Oceans are the largest environments on the planet, and humans have explored less than 80%, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“Children are curious and desperately want the facts,” author S. Emerson Green said. She self-published on Amazon. She wants to give people of all ages a way to explore oceans in an entertaining and factual way.
Nearly 160 pages of STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) activities aim to encourage, inspire and inform readers about marine life, ocean geography, coral reefs, future careers, sustainability and more. Coloring pages and puzzles entertain while also informing readers of our continued lack of ocean knowledge, Green said.
“How do I convey the mysteries and awe I feel about our amazing ocean?” Green said. The book kept evolving and growing as she kept wanting to share more information. “I was excited to share everything I know and delve more deeply into the things I knew almost nothing about.”
The book is Green’s humble contribution to a better future. The ocean is still her favorite place to visit, and nearly everywhere she goes, there’s an inviting coast pulling her out to sea, she said. Not only does the book educate, but Green hopes it will help make contributions to environmental organizations.
“What I hope is that they experience the awe of the mostly unexplored ocean, that it piques their curiosity as they learn amazing facts and realize how deeply connected our lives are to it,” she said.
Beyond the book, readers are encouraged to research online and become involved with numerous organizations that strive to reverse human damage to all life forms. The book highlights positive steps that individuals have taken and organizations dedicated to protecting oceans. It also highlights future careers in marine environments.
Though this is the first book for Muse Publications, Green has plans for more books including another interactive ocean book that will be geared more toward coloring, educational poetry, artistic expression and creating writing. Look for “Discovering Our Amazing Ocean” soon.
Future books will explore topics such as vital potable water, rainforests, deserts and desertification, ecosystem restoration with interconnected topics of land and soil regeneration, and creating permaculture food forests that propose ways to deal with local food scarcity around the world. Muse Publications also expects a book about designing beyond sustainable communities with examples of eco-villages and eco-cities around the world.
“Exploring Our Amazing Ocean” is designed to instill a deep appreciation and expose the enormity of our challenges while delving into the past and future exploration of 70% of our water planet, Green said.
“We rely on the ocean for nearly every breath we take,” she concluded.