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Tropical Reef Camera - live underwater video of fish & coral | Explore.org

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Observe the magnificent coral reef ecosystem at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Watch live underwater video of fish, rays, and other incredible sea creatures.

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ReefCam - Live underwater video of coral reefs around the world

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Reefs around the world stand little to no chance of survival without increased intervention. ReefCam provides a voice to these fragile reef ecosystems through a media platform. We are forming a new mindset towards funding environmental programs by giving a portion of its proceeds directly to conservation, research, and education.

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Watch live to see brightly colored Tangs and Clownfish dart through the water as Hermit Crabs and Snails move along the sea floor.

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Free-swimming coral larvae attach to submerged rocks or other hard surfaces along the edges of islands or continents.

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As the corals grow and expand, reefs take on one of three major characteristic structures
fringing, barrier or atoll.

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These are the most common.
These form on the shoreline!

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These form around shorelines but further out into the ocean.

Deep water usually separates the reef from land.

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These form around volcanic island that is some above water.
Usually circular and around deep water.

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national oceanic and atmospheric administration

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Corals: NOAA's National Ocean Service Education

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National Ocean Service's Education Online tutorial on Corals?

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(https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/5-fascinating-facts-about-coral-reefs)

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The hard shell you see when coral is removed from water is the hard shell of an animal called a polyp. 

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The hard shell you see when coral is removed from water is the hard shell of an animal called a polyp. 

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(https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/top-25-coral-reef-facts.php)

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It is the cluster of polyps growing together that gives reefs their shape.

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It is the cluster of polyps growing together that gives reefs their shape.

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(https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/top-25-coral-reef-facts.php)

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Reefs that are huge are between 5 and 10,000 years old.

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Reefs that are huge are between 5 and 10,000 years old.

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(https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/top-25-coral-reef-facts.php)

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Coral Reefs Are One of the Most Bio-Diverse Marine Areas on the Planet.

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Coral Reefs Are One of the Most Bio-Diverse Marine Areas on the Planet.

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Houses thousands of (https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/5-fascinating-facts-about-coral-reefs)

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Coral Reef Plants and Animals Are Important to the Development of New Medicines.

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Coral Reef Plants and Animals Are Important to the Development of New Medicines.

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These medicines help treat cancer, arthritis, infections, and other illnesses.

(https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/5-fascinating-facts-about-coral-reefs)

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Because they protect the land from storm damage.

(https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/5-fascinating-facts-about-coral-reefs)

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(https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/top-25-coral-reef-facts.php)

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Coral reefs also play an important role in helping to manage carbon monoxide levels.

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Coral reefs also play an important role in helping to manage carbon monoxide levels.

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(https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/top-25-coral-reef-facts.php)

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant No. 0003650. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

IMAX® and IMAX® experience are registered trademarks of Imax Corporation
"Great Adventure Films" is a registered trademark of MacGillivray Freeman Films, Inc.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant No. 0003650. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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About Corals

Coral organisms, called polyps, can live on their own, but are primarily associated with the spectacularly diverse limestone communities, or reefs, they construct.

Polyps, Colonies, and Reefs

Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied organisms related to sea anemones and jellyfish. At their base is a hard, protective limestone skeleton called a calicle, which forms the structure of coral reefs. Reefs begin when a polyp attaches itself to a rock on the sea floor, then divides, or buds, into thousands of clones. The polyp calicles connect to one another, creating a colony that acts as a single organism. As colonies grow over hundreds and thousands of years, they join with other colonies and become reefs. Some of the coral reefs on the planet today began growing over 50 million years ago.

Coral polyps are actually translucent animals. Reefs get their wild hues from the billions of colorful zooxanthellae (ZOH-oh-ZAN-thell-ee) algae they host. When stressed by such things as temperature change or pollution, corals will evict their boarders, causing coral bleaching that can kill the colony if the stress is not mitigated.

Corals live in tropical waters throughout the world, generally close to the surface where the sun's rays can reach the algae. While corals get most of their nutrients from the byproducts of the algae's photosynthesis, they also have barbed, venomous tentacles they can stick out, usually at night, to grab zooplankton and even small fish.

Coral reefs teem with life, covering less than one percent of the ocean floor, but supporting about 25 percent of all marine creatures. However, threats to their existence abound, and scientists estimate that human factors-such as pollution, global warming, and sedimentation-are threatening large swaths of the world's reefs.

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About Corals Coral organisms, called polyps, can live on their own, but are primarily associated with the spectacularly diverse limestone communities, or reefs, they construct. Polyps, Colonies, and Reefs Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied organisms related to sea anemones and jellyfish.

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Great Barrier Reef Facts

Check out our Great Barrier Reef facts for kids. Enjoy a range of colourful pictures, interesting information and fun trivia related to the largest coral reef system in the world. Learn about the amazing marine life, where the Great Barrier Reef is, how climate change could affect it and much more.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world.

It is found in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest living structure.

It is made up of around 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands.

The Great Barrier Reef is around 2600 kilometres (1616 miles) in length.

Astronauts can see the Great Barrier Reef from space.

Marine animals called coral play an important role in the formation of the Great Barrier Reef.

Coral create calcium carbonate which forms a hard, shell-like skeleton.

The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide range of life, including fish, sea turtles, giant clam, seahorse, sea snakes, nudibranch, sea turtles, stingray, sharks and many more.

Over 1500 different species of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef, including clownfish, star of the animated film Finding Nemo.

Whales, dolphins and dugong can also be seen in the Great Barrier Reef.

Climate change is perhaps the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef.

Warmer ocean temperatures put stress on coral and lead to coral bleaching.

The Great Barrier Reef is a popular tourist destination with around 2 million visitors every year.

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Great Barrier Reef Facts for Kids - Pictures & Information

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Great Barrier Reef Facts Check out our Great Barrier Reef facts for kids. Enjoy a range of colourful pictures, interesting information and fun trivia related to the largest coral reef system in the world. Learn about the amazing marine life, where the Great Barrier Reef is, how climate change could affect it and much more.

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What are coral reefs? Coral can be found in tropical ocean waters around the world. But how much do you know about reefs and the tiny animals-polyps-that build them? Learn all about coral and why warming waters threaten the future of the reef ecosystem.

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The Great Barrier Reef - Facts & Information | Mocomi Kids

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http://mocomi.com/ presents: The Great Barrier Reef - Facts Facts about the World's Largest Coral Reef System- The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure in the world. It can be seen by astronauts from outer space. It is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, that stretch over 2,600 kilometres.

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coral reef (geographical feature category)

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Exploring the Coral Reef: Learn about Oceans for Kids - FreeSchool

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* SEA ANIMALS * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV

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When You Notice Trash on the Beach, Clean it! And Clean Your Trash!

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When You Notice Trash on the Beach, Clean it! And Clean Your Trash!

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A shallow, calm body of water between a reef and the shoreline or in the center of an atoll.

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A small sea invertebrate, such as coral, that has a tube-like body and a tentacled mouth.

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The Barrier Reef from ProjectExplorer.org in Belize

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ProjectExplorer.org's Kat Lonsdorf explores Belize by boat to learn about the barrier reef. ProjectExplorer.org in Belize is: Presented by: Kat Lonsdorf Also featuring: Michelle Miller Edited by: Jenny M. Buccos & Sara El-Behiri Produced by: Jenny M. Buccos Directed by: Jenny M.

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Decorating for Vacation Bible School is always a daunting task and this years theme, Ocean Commotion had us all scrambling for ideas and exercising our Pinterest muscles. I ended up combining several techniques on 2 coral reefs and they became the spotlight of our craft room. This coral reef would be a colorful and beautiful addition to any under the sea or mermaid party decorations.

See more amazing under the sea decorations here.

Keep on reading for all the tutorials to make you a coral reef pro. You can use all or just some of the techniques outlined below.

Here's what I used:

Boxes

Brown craft paper

Pool Noodles

Floral Mesh in several colors (Available at any craft store or fake floral department of big retailers)

Tissue Paper in several colors

Packaging Peanuts

Spray Foam ("Great Stuff" from the hardware store)

Spray paint

Fishing line

Wire

Wooden BBQ sticks

Toothpicks

Make the base

First arrange the boxes in a reef like fashion.

Crumble the brown craft paper and drape it on the boxes.

I know. Looks suspiciously like a couple boxes covered with brown paper. We will make magic with that.

Make tube coral

Cut the floral mesh into 1 foot strips, roll them, fold them in half, and attach 3 to 4 pieces together with some fishing line. Then attach a wire hook.

Make paper sea anemones

You're basically making a tissue paper flower with very pointy petals. Here's how I did it:

Stack 4 square paper tissue sheets of the same color.

Fold accordion style in about 1″ folds.

Wrap wire around the middle.

Cut the ends very pointy.

Carefully separate the sheets of tissue paper on both sides.

Wrap the wire around the bottom to bunch the sea anemone to one side. You'll use the wire to stick the anemone into the cardboard box.

Make pool noodle coral

Cut a pool noodle in half and another in 2 uneven pieces. Cut in a big swirl pattern around the noodle, starting at the top and stopping about 6 inches to 1 foot from the bottom. Cut inside the swirl at least one or two more times.

Make coral with spray foam

I found this good tutorial on Pinterest so I'm re-posting here:

"Things you'll need: Large cardboard/wood surface - lined with wax paper Wood dowels Can of spray foam Spray paint

What you do: Place wood dowel on wax paper and secure with tape. Spray the foam over the dowel in an organic free flowing motions to create something that resembles coral. Note: Foam will expand so don't spray too much in one area. Let dry overnight. Carefully peel off wax paper. Then spray paint."

This is one of mine:

I made a bigger one on this reef. You can see in the back. I also used a honeycomb lantern as brain coral on this one. I used Great Stuff for big gaps.

Make more coral out of packaging peanuts

Just string white packaging peanuts on a wooden BBQ stick. Use toothpicks to make the arms. You can stick or glue a couple together and spray paint it if you wish. I left most of them white (like dead coral).

They look great in the back!

Put it all together

Now you're ready to use the wire ends to stick all these wonderful items in your cardboard boxes in an organic coral reef fashion. Stab BBQ sticks where you want the pool noodles to stand.

If things keep on falling you can use some of this fantastic product.

The burst of color on the coral reef will amaze your guests.

Shop my Etsy Store:

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How to Make a Coral Reef Decoration - by Press Print Party!

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Decorating for Vacation Bible School is always a daunting task and this years theme, Ocean Commotion had us all scrambling for ideas and exercising our Pinterest muscles. I ended up combining several techniques on 2 coral reefs and they became the spotlight of our craft room.

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By · This content may contain affiliate links.

The theme this week for Discover & Explore is Sea Life. We made a recycled egg carton coral reef play set. Read below for the simple how-to. Then we'd love for you to share your favorite activities, crafts, tips, and resources about ocean creatures at the end of this post.

Get a full week of ocean theme lesson plans for

My oldest is fascinated by ocean animals. She has been since she was an infant. This summer she's sure that we need to have a pet orca, and she's eagerly awaiting Big Buddy's return from vacation...he's bringing her a sea turtle after all. 😉

Since I can't quite make that a reality for her, I thought this recycled egg carton craft would be a fun way to do some crafting and encourage pretend play.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
I originally saw the idea for egg carton sea creatures in Parents Magazine. I started by cutting apart a couple egg cartons. I tried my best to cut a few pieces and tape them together to look like fish. They work for our purposes, but I'm sure some of you could come up with some very crafty looking sea creatures. Either way both of the girls loved finding this invitation to create waiting for them one morning.

The type of paint you need will depend on the type of egg cartons you have. Washable tempera paint worked well for the cardboard cartons, but we had to use acrylics for the styrofoam cartons. Lovey enjoyed painting the smaller pieces, and Tinker spent her time painting the bottom of the larger carton (pictured below) to make the base of our coral reef.

Once the pieces were dry we added googly eyes, chenille stems, and some basic facial features. The girls could barely wait to get started playing, and they've gotten a lot of use out of this play set already.

Tinker loves the little yellow fish best.

I think the crab is my favorite part of the set!

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Get a Full Week of Ocean Theme Learning and Play

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we've provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

This set includes active hands-on learning ideas and the following printables:

1) Shark Dice Game (color and black/white)
2) Whale Dice Game (color and black/white)
3) Starfish Sorting and Patterning Cards
4) Ocean Letter Matching Puzzles
5) Ocean Life Number Cards 0 to 35
6) Ocean Family Counting Sets for Numbers 1-10
7) Sea Life Cards (for counting, patterning, and sorting)
8) Ocean Roll and Graph Game
9) Sea Life Word Building Cards
10) Sea Life Syllable Sort Activity

Get Your Lesson Plans
Home Preschool Ocean Theme Lesson Plans Preschool Classroom Ocean Theme Lesson Plans

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Create your own coral reef with these easy egg carton sea life crafts.