For three consecutive days, we were guests of the third-grade classes at the GGS Nibelungenstraße in Cologne. The marine science lessons focused entirely on plastic pollution in our oceans and the impact of fisheries. On the third day, the simple question, "Do you like sharks?", led to a different kind of lesson: How do sharks bite and why? What happens during a bite? Why did Megalodon disappear? How does the wobbegong hunt? What is finning? The session culminated in the final question: "When are you coming back?" We promised: next week, and then it is all about sharks! For all three classes, each day concluded with a premier virtual reality dive. Some seven- to eight-year-old children are not yet fully able to decouple their real perception from virtual reality. This made their reactions all the more rewarding: "Why can't I see my hands?" -- "I'm diving right now, I'm in the water... why aren't I wet?" -- "Guys, lift your feet up, up, up, there's a ray coming!" -- "I want to swim over there now!" Fun fact: On Tuesday, the school canteen served salmon to the full-day pupils. However, the canteen was left with the fish. Perhaps this will trigger a rethink; the children certainly fully understood that eating fish is hardly a sustainable choice!
