Taking the Kids: Lessons from the Titanic for today's kids

When Dr. Ballard's exploration vessel, Nautilus, is at sea, in fact, a team member monitors the expedition's progress from shore and hosts live shows at the Ocean Exploration Center in the Nautilus Live Theater; Kids may also see what the scientists are seeing in real time from their home and school computers. (Check www.nautiluslive.org.)

Already, the Sea Research Foundation, which includes Mystic Aquarium, is one of the largest cultural institutions in New England, reaching some 2 million children a year onsite and through remote programs. It is hoped that the Titanic exhibit will help spur even more interest in the ocean.

Kids and adults clearly can't seem to get enough of the Titanic's story. The 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking has been marked around the world with a flurry of TV specials, magazine and newspaper articles, documentaries and special exhibits. Let's not forget the new 3-D version of James Cameron's 1997 film "Titanic," which will introduce a whole new generation to the tragedy.

The Titanic Belfast exhibit (www.titanicbelfast.com) has just opened in Ireland and it overlooks the Harland and Wolff shipyard where the Titanic was built. The largest Titanic visitor experience in the world (six stories tall) has already welcomed more than 50,000 people.

Some 2 million people have visited "The Titanic Museum Attraction" (www.titanicattraction.com/) in tiny Pigeon Forge, Tenn., since it opened in 2010. More than 5 million have visited its sister museum in Branson, Mo., since its opening in 2006.

Museums, including the Houston Museum of Science (www.hmns.org), the San Diego Natural History Museum (www.sdnhm.org) and the Henry Ford Museum (www.hfmgv.org) in Dearborn, Mich., are among the venues to host "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" with hundreds of artifacts recovered from the debris field. (A much publicized auction of more than 5,000 objects that salvagers found scattered along the ocean floor has been postponed.)

Dr. Ballard points to the use of Titanic artifacts -- and the continuing search for them -- with dismay, noting that these scavenger expeditions not only damage the site but also disturb what is, essentially, an underwater cemetery. "You don't take a belt buckle from the USS Arizona," he said. "We must preserve these sites for the next generation."

To that end, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced legislation recently that would amend the RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986, which protects the wreck site of the Titanic from salvage and intrusive research. "It's hallowed ground, not just some underwater area to be poked at or damaged for commercial reasons," said Kerry. "This bill provides the authority necessary to help ensure the site of the Titanic is kept intact."

When Dr. Ballard returned home after finding Titanic, he said, there were 16,000 letters from youngsters eager to join his next expedition. He founded the JASON Project (www.jason.org) to link students to science and scientists. His partnership with Sea Research Foundation has since resulted in Immersion Learning (www.immersionlearning.org), which has brought academic enrichment programs to kids outside of the classroom, nurturing their excitement about science and discovery.

"We're going where no one has gone before," said Dr. Ballard. "The age of exploration is just beginning!"

========

For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow "taking the kids" on www.twitter.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.