A group of 6-, 7- and 8-year-old kids poured over the rocky beach near City Park on June 8 like a bunch of young Indiana Joneses, looking for artifacts.

But this group, unlike Dr. Jones, was looking for shells as part of a Beach Explorers program to use in a science experiment.

During last week's exploration, children were given a cup, guided to the beach, and instructed to find two intact seashells.

"It's fun," said Bo Ritchie, 6. "We find stuff like glass. That's what my sister does. She finds, like, glass and bones. Dog bones. Wolf bones. Bear bones. Moose bones. No human bones."

It was...