Ocean in a bottle, sand & water sensory, ocean themed yoga, under the sea popsicles, and more!
The O C E A N theme is one of my favorites. You could easily do a month of ocean-themed activities, or divide it into subcategories like “water,” “marine life,” “whales,” “beach creatures,” etc. If your kids are enrolled in other part-time camps throughout the summer months, there will very likely be an “ocean week” that you could work in conjunction with. If you have a family vacation to the ocean (or any body of saltwater) planned, make sure to schedule this theme around it. We happened to be traveling to Semiahmoo Resort for my mom’s birthday weekend, so we started the week off by digging for clams in the bay.
We are lucky to live near the Puget Sound and have access to the beach, but I also think there are opportunities for ocean learning in many places (this week is a great excuse for a field trip to your local aquarium!) and I hope to provide some guidance here. If you don’t have access to a coastal area, use this week to learn all about marine biology and utilize your library, Netflix (soooo many great nature documentaries on the ocean), and the science projects (see S T E M) listed in this post. Keep in mind, we didn’t have time to do all of the activities listed here, and we still had a really fun and successful Ocean Week!
As always, start with some discussion questions to discover what your kids are most interested in learning more about, and use them to guide your teaching and Pinterest-ing:
- What types of animals live in the ocean? Are they fish, mammals, or other?
- How much of the earth is made up of ocean? Why is that important?
- In what ways do we need and use the ocean?
- In what ways can we care for our ocean? What should we be doing more or less of?
- What types of professionals work in the ocean, and what do they do to help it (oceanographers, marine biologists, Navy soldiers, Coast Guard, fishermen & women, boat captains & sailors, etc.)? What do they need to know in order to do their jobs?
R E A D I N G
Again, the Ocean theme is so generous in terms of resources, you can use whatever you have on your kids’ bookshelves (Goodnight Ocean, Curious George at the Aquarium, Dr. Seuss’s Wish for a Fish, etc.) as an introduction or thrown in at story time, and whatever is available at the library will supplement as resource, non-fiction books. Also check this great list of ocean picture books for preschoolers by pre-kpages.com. Don’t go out and buy anything. Here is what we ended up with from our library:
- DK Eyewitness Books: Ocean by Miranda Macquitty: Through images, maps and informative text learn about life on the shore to the darkest depths of the ocean floor, including predators and prey, gas and oil exploration, products of the ocean, brave explorers and what the human race can do to help preserve one of the earth’s most valuable resources.
- Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire A. Nivola: With stunningly detailed pictures of the wonders of the sea, Life in the Ocean tells the story of Sylvia’s growing passion and how her ocean exploration and advocacy have made her known around the world. This picture book biography also includes an informative author’s note that will motivate young environmentalists.
- Seymour Simon’s Extreme Oceans by Seymour Simon: Imagine exploring the most extreme parts of our amazing oceans—riding the tallest waves, diving to the darkest depths, and encountering the largest and most dangerous sea creatures on Earth. These mind-bending facts and stunning photographs make for an exciting, and sometimes unbelievable, underwater expedition!
- I Can Save the Ocean!: The Little Green Monster Cleans Up the Beach by Alison Inches: Kids can join Max the Little Green Monster’s journey to environmental awareness and learn tips on how they can become little green monsters themselves.
A R T
There is no shortage of ocean-themed art projects on Pinterest (check out my page for more ideas!), and this is a great theme for coming up with your own crafty projects. Although we ended up focusing a lot of our activities around science projects, there is always room for arts integration. Bonus: See below for a beautiful ocean-themed mosaic, designed by my middle school students in conjunction with an Ocean Awareness assembly by Ocean Activist Annie Crawley, which was a collaborative, community piece that took a whole year to make!
- Light Up Mason Jar Aquariums by Tip Toe Fairy: Even without the submersible LED lights, this project is super fun for the kids. I think of it as a sculpture-art activity. Check the link for required materials, but don’t feel like you need to stick to just those. The mini pseudo-fish tank may even tide your littles over from asking for a new pet every other day!
- I love both of these Paper Plate Jellyfish (by Arty Crafty Kids) and Paper Bag Jellyfish (by The Idea Room). You probably don’t need to do both, so pick one based on what you already have in the house, and end up with a colorful work of art that will look great on display in your home.
- Construction Paper & Glue Sea Creatures by paper-and-glue.com: This is probably your easiest option on the list, as it just requires construction paper, glue, and, if you’re feeling really crafty, googly eyes. The options are endless and the instructions are here!
- Mosaics in the traditional sense are a bit hard to achieve for little ones who are still developing fine motor skills, but I’ve had success with kindergarteners working with paper mosaics, and making mosaic stepping stones at home with my kids. It would be really cool to collect materials from the beach like shells, rocks, and sea glass, and set them in a wet cement mold. Let dry, and- Wala! Stepping stone for the garden!
S T E M (science. technology. engineering. math.)
We had a lot of fun with this theme and all of the opportunities for putting on our scientist hats. Learning about the ocean provides great opportunities for science experiments involving simple ingredients. Here are a few:
- Salt Water Experiment: Ocean Science for Kids by sciencekiddo.com: All you need are clear cups or glasses, water, grapes (for floating…raw eggs work, too) and a few other household items, and you’re good to go. My oldest conducted this experiment with my one-year-old “ooh”-ing and “ahh”-ing as an onlooker, and it was a total scientific success.
- Layers of the Ocean: Undersea Science by Edventures with Kids: A great opportunity for exploring and learning about the 5 distinct zones (Sunlight, Twilight, Midnight, Abyss, & Trenches!) in the ocean, as well as where different marine animals live. Older kids can investigate how far light travels through the ocean.
- How do Whales Stay Warm in Cold Water? Science Experiment by Brie Brie Blooms: I asked my husband to take this project on after he got home from work one night while I was making dinner. All you need is shortening, plastic wrap, and ice, and it’s pretty quick, while getting the point across and providing a great hands-on activity that kids enjoy.
S E N S O R Y & M O V E M E N T
If you’re short on time, this area could be as simple as heading to the beach and letting your tiny bundles of energy run around and play in the sand. Truly. But, if you’re looking for more specific ideas, read on:
- 3-Ingredient Ocean in a Bottle by Happy Hooligans: This one is so easy and fun, you’re missing out if you pass it up. We actually just made these and used them as “calming jars” in my 7th grade homeroom class, and even the older kids loved making and using them. We added glitter so kids could watch the motions of the jar and use it as a tool to calm down and re-focus. This project integrates science, art, and sensory really effectively.
- Ocean Themed Yoga by Pink Oatmeal: This is a great example of a project that you can pull based on the theme you’re covering, and integrate the lesson with other specific types of learning (in this case, movement). More examples of this would include counting shells to practice math or incorporating beach-themed early reading practice throughout the week.
- Sand & Water Ocean Sensory Bin by Mom Inspired Life: My kids helped build this, played with it for hours, and then came back for more during the following days. We kept it on our outside deck (it can be messy), and found a lot of the supplies at our local beach (we returned all of it after we were done). Put everything in a shallow storage bin, and let them explore!
C O O K I N G
We found some great ideas for food-preparation geared toward the ocean theme, from healthy midday snacks to sweet desserts.
- I just discovered this great blog by a former kindergarten teacher called Mrs. Plemon’s Kindergarten that has a ton of other great ocean-themed activities, so be sure to check out the whole page. For snacks, scroll down a bit and you’ll find inspiration for jellyfish quesadillas, kiwi-grape turtles, and apple crabs. Cute, easy and yummy!
- Under the Sea Graham Crackers by thefirstyearblog.com: Check it out, it’s food art! Have your littles create a scene on their graham cracker canvas of goldfish crackers swimming on an ocean of blue frosting! Add sprinkles, and you’re more than golden.
- Ocean popsicles, as seen on my instagram page! Don’t have popsicle molds? Ice cube trays will work just fine, or you can pick some up for under $5 at Target or Walmart. We used blue food coloring to make our lemonade look like the ocean, added grape-jellyfish, kiwi-seaweed, and Swedish Fish. Freeze overnight for a sweet treat. Delish!
F I E L D T R I P S
Clearly, if you’re near the beach, there are field trips built into this theme. Check your local tide times, get the kids up early, head through the Starbucks Drive Thru for coffee and breakfast snacks, and explore the shore when the tide is at it’s lowest. You won’t regret it. We explored Edmonds Marina Beach and the Marine Sanctuary at Brackett’s Landing, a quite-famous scuba diving destination. Also, check out your city’s webpage for a schedule of low-tide, guided beach walks led by Park Rangers.
If you’re in the Edmonds/Greater Seattle area, a little-known local secret is the Olympic Beach Visiting Station near the fishing pier. On summer weekends, the station is staffed by Ranger-Naturalists and volunteers, and anyone can come in to experience the touch tank filled with local marine animals and ask questions. We also visited the Edmonds Marsh, one of the few urban saltwater estuaries remaining in the Puget Sound area.
If you’re inland, visiting your local aquarium will definitely hit the spot. For fun, here is Travel Channel’s list of the Best Aquariums in the U.S. If an ocean-inspired field trip just seems impossible, there are so many amazing nature documentaries (start with BBC’s Planet Earth Ocean Deep) and kids ocean movies (Hello, Finding Dory! And don’t forget about Nemo!) out there, your kids could practically sit in from of the TV all week and learn a whole lot (I wouldn’t recommend that approach, but you get my drift).
Lots of opportunities for ocean learning and fun! Start with the reading, and then the learning style you or your kids are most drawn to, and go from there. We definitely did not cover all of these activities, and maybe did one from each category. Embrace the oceanic abundance and do what feels right! Have fun!
