Mote SEA Shark Pups & Grown Ups
Before children learn to fear the ocean’s shadows, they tend to approach it with the most useful scientific tools of all: curiosity, movement and a willingness to ask excellent questions.
By Edit Sarasota Staff
Before children learn to fear the ocean’s shadows, they tend to approach it with the most useful scientific tools of all: curiosity, movement and a willingness to ask excellent questions. At Mote SEA’s Shark Pups & Grown Ups, Sarasota’s youngest explorers can investigate the world of sharks alongside a favorite adult in a class designed as much for discovery as for togetherness.
Created for children ages 2 through 5, the early childhood STEM program meets families at the point where learning is still wonderfully physical. A class may involve movement, sign language, science-tool exploration, role play and games—activities that invite young participants to observe, imitate, communicate and experiment. Each month brings a new theme, and every class is unique, giving families a reason to keep returning as their Shark Pup’s confidence and interests grow.
The program also reflects a larger part of Mote’s role in Sarasota. For decades, the institution has connected marine research and conservation with public learning, translating the complexities of ocean life into experiences that feel immediate and accessible. At the Science Education Aquarium, that work begins well before a child can read a field guide. A preschooler sorting observations, acting out animal behavior or learning a sign connected to the sea is already practicing the habits of a scientist: noticing carefully, making connections and sharing what they discover.
There is a particular value in placing grownups inside that process. The adult companion is not simply a spectator but a partner in play, helping turn a short class into a conversation that can continue at home, on a walk near the bay or during the next visit to the aquarium. For Sarasota families, where the Gulf and its wildlife are part of everyday life, early encounters like these can help build both affection for the natural world and a sense of responsibility toward it.
Mote SEA Shark Pups & Grown Ups takes place Saturday, October 10, 2026, at the Mote Science Education Aquarium, 225 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota. Designed for children ages 2 through 5 and their favorite adult, the program offers a lively introduction to marine science—one movement, question and shared discovery at a time.