Charlotte County mom creates game to teach kids about the ocean while giving back

Who says learning can’t be fun?

“The best way to connect with kids is through games, getting them involved, hands on interaction,” says Charlotte County mother a former educator with a Marine Science institute in the Florida Keys, Katharine Baumgartner.

She goes near shark-infested waters to make sure kids have the right idea about the often misunderstood animals.

The SWFL mom says she realized there aren’t many educational games on oceans or sharks, so she created her own company,”Ocean Family Games,” with the mission to teach future generations about our oceans through activities that also give back to shark education.

“Bring families together for healthy, family interactions so that together we can preserve the oceans for generations to come,” said Baumgartner.

The games help teach children the difference between shark teeth, how far a shark can travel and much more.

Baumgartner is working with scientific data group Ocearch, which studies where sharks migrate and mate, to help with educational outreach.

She just got back from an Ocearch shark expedition off the coast of Nova Scotia.

“Their main purpose is to bring the ocean back to the balance that it needs to be,” she said.

Ocean Family Games incorporates that research into its interactive playing cards, allowing players to track sharks through an app on their phone.

“Man, the latest ping is almost where he was tagged last time,” said Baumgartner.

Teaching families how to protect our oceans and marine life, while also having fun!

“There are things that you could be doing every day,” she says.

Ten percent of the proceeds from the sales of Ocean Family Games goes toward funding Ocearch shark education programs and research.

Right now, the company only has one game on the market, but is working on releasing a few others.