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Third-Graders Confront Fears and Dive into Science During Squid Dissection

Westview third-graders visited the Mobius Discovery Center on Dec. 2 for a hands-on field trip that culminated in a squid dissection. Under the guidance of Tiniya Dixon and teacher Tiffiny Santos, students explored squid anatomy, handled tentacles and discovered the squid's "pen," using its ink to draw. The activity reinforced the class's ocean unit and aimed to spark interest in STEM while teaching children to confront fears and try new experiences.

08:42 PM, 12/03/2025Science

Dec. 2 — Westview third-graders spent a memorable day at the Mobius Discovery Center, where a science-packed field trip ended with a hands-on squid dissection that both grossed out and captivated the students.

When Tiniya Dixon, public projects coordinator at Mobius, asked a roomful of 8-year-olds what smell was drifting through the building, answers came quickly — and so did a few shirts over noses. Dixon then handed each student a tray holding the source of the odor: about a dozen small squids.

Hands-on discovery

For roughly an hour, Dixon guided the class through squid anatomy, encouraging students to snip a tentacle, slice open the beak (mandible) and gently prod the creature's large, cloudy eye. The dissection capped the third-graders' unit on the ocean, which also included lessons about SCUBA pioneer Jacques Cousteau and a live video chat with an oceanologist who tags sharks.

Teacher Tiffiny Santos said the tactile experience makes learning stick.

"Reading from a book is one thing, but it's a whole different thing to touch it; they will never forget this experience," Santos said.

Conquering fears — and sparking curiosity

Handling a squid was far outside 8-year-old Jazmine McKinnon's comfort zone. "I was like, 'What?'" she recalled, scrunching her face. "It's not normal; I've never done a thing like that in my life." At one point she admitted, "I literally almost puked" when her partner snipped off a tentacle. Still, Jazmine picked up the scissors and kept exploring; the experience helped her push beyond her fears.

Classmate Rylie Lynn said she expected to be disgusted but found the activity surprisingly interesting. Working with a partner, she peeled back the squid's beak and discovered the long, straw-shaped cartilage known as the squid's "pen." Students removed the ink sac and used the pen to dip and draw with squid ink — one pair even wrote the numerals "6" and "7" in squid ink as a playful nod to a classroom meme.

"When I cut it open, I realized it wasn't that scary," Rylie said. The experience also planted the idea of studying ocean animals in the future; she named turtles as a favorite and said she might want to "explore more animals that nobody saw."

Santos hopes moments like these will spark long-term interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). "Beyond that it was a squid, it gives them an experience like a scientist, that they can take away and say, 'That was cool; maybe I will try that class in middle school or high school or college, or maybe I really am interested in biology,'" she said.

Whether nervous or enthusiastic at the start, many students left with more confidence to try new things — and a more vivid understanding of marine life than a textbook could provide.

By Elena Perry

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