My family has been babysitting my nephew this past month, and our activities led us to the aquarium this weekend. The architecture of the rooms and tanks stayed the same from my own childhood. Bringing a 5-year-old along meant I got to see it through kid’s eyes again.
When we passed a tank full of sting rays and other saltwater fish, and what did that sign say? A mermaid show was starting in 10 minutes? My nephew didn’t mind seeing it, and my mom and sister were okay waiting, so I finally got to see what I knew came the Downtown Denver Aquarium years ago.
I had mixed feelings about fantasy creatures being so authentically mixed into an educational place of actual aquatic animals. You don’t go the zoo to see an ice cream cone taped onto a white horse. Real animals should be enough. My sister who teaches first grade complained of how some of her student would return from the aquarium suddenly thinking that mermaids were real.
But oh my gosh, these three “mermaids” were amazing. Their long hair was gorgeously floating through in the water, as they swam effortlessly in their realistic-looking tails. They did flips and spins, before stopping to wave at viewers in the glass, or forming heart hands. They could all go so long without going to the surface for air, and kept their eyes open. I let my sense of childhood wonder take over as I got lost in the spectacle.
My nephew asked, “Are they real, Auntie Kaydee?” I told him, “No, just people in costumes. Pretty realistic, huh? I think it’s still really impressive. I can’t swim like that.” My answer was based off what his mom/my sister would have wanted. When he asked if Santa was real, she was honest. As a little kid, I totally could have thought that these mermaids were real. Maybe it is like believing in Santa. It’s a childhood gift for those too young to remember believing later on.
The mermaids also gave an important message about keeping oceans clean as they pretended to talk to an audio track. If I saw mermaids clean up trash from the ocean as I kid I would definitely remember to recycle. Even for the older children watching who knew they are in costume, it was still an extremely positive portrayal for being green. It wasn’t overbearing either. Message well received.
Sure mermaids at an aquarium aren’t “education” in that they teach kids about an actual sea creature. They are definitely still educational in an impactful way though. Plus, they were super magical and pretty, alright?
