When visiting museums, children are accustomed to seeing signs reading “Do Not Touch,” however, when one natural history center brings its exhibits to the children, it encourages just the opposite.

On Thursday Sycamore Elementary School received a visit by Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s traveling touch lab, the Baymobile. For two weeks per month, the Baymobile visits various schools in Alabama to teach students about ocean life and environmental issues.

“This is a great opportunity to expose our students to resources that they may never have the chance to experience,” said Principal Michelle Head. “We welcome opportunities for any hands-on experiences.”

Each grade level at the school was treated to educational sessions in the auditorium.

Marine educator Stephanie Wright opened each class session with a lecture concentrating on how the ocean and environment affect everyone. She hit on points such as the amount of the planet covered by oceans, the importance of preserving fresh water, endangered species and different uses for sea life, such as food and medicine.

“The lecture shows how we’re all connected to the ocean,” Wright said.

Marine life was only half of the lecture. Wright spoke about the importance of recycling and how conservation circles through the ecosystem to directly affect the students.

To the children’s delight, this portion of the speech came with its own visual aids of practical uses of recycling.

Wright demonstrated how students can creatively take part in conservation by showing her own shopping bags made of recycled plastic bags and bottles. To further illustrate the creativity aspect, she presented a full raincoat made entirely of recycled shopping bags.

After the lecture came the big hit of the lesson, which were several display tables filled with various preserved and fossilized marine life forms. The children explored various fish, rays, starfish, sponges, crabs, shark teeth, a sea turtle, a jellyfish and different shells up close. There was even a whale vertebrae, pelican bones and a skull from a sea turtle that Wright estimated weighed between 300 and 500 pounds.

“We travel to rural schools bringing the ocean to the classroom,” Wright said. “These kids may not get to see these animals again.”

Of course, all the animals and fossils were complemented with postings reading “Please touch,” and the children certainly did.

The hands-on policy went a long way in exposing the children to new experiences. Fourth grader Tucker Hernandez said he was surprised to learn the different weights of bones and fossils, as the pelican bones were hollow and light. He also learned about different fish textures and where pearls come from.

He said his interest was peaked when he got to see these things rather than read about them.

Wright said the most popular thing on the touch display was a preserved octopus, particularly due to its squishy feel. This observation was backed up by students such as third graders Dalton Pitts and Jakerria Tanner, who agreed they had no idea an animal could feel so “weird.”

The animals on display came from sea life that was caught by Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s research vessels or animals that died at its estuary showcase, the Estuarium. Some exhibits were simply found around Dauphin Island.

The display is carried across the state in a large truck adorned with paintings of the Delta landscape, an ocean scene and sea life. The vehicle also has the capacity to carry living displays to classrooms when available.

The Baymobile is one of the Discovery Hall Programs at Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Among the various research and education programs, it offers several free teacher and student workshops in marine science, ecosystems and conservation.

Student programs can take kids anywhere from day camps to research vessels.

Teacher workshops can go toward graduate course credits or Continuing Education Units.

Information on Dauphin Island Sea Lab can be found online at www.disl.org.