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Relates to Continuation and Forward planning activity 2

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Relates to Continuation and Forward planning activity 2

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Relates to continuation and forward planning activity 2

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Relates to continuation and forward planning activity 2

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From "Baby Beluga" to Finding Nemo, kids love all things ocean! So you know they'll be eager to dive into this collection of ocean activities. They'll get to craft sea creatures, perform ocean experiments, and learn so much about our watery planet. Come on in ... the water's fine!

1. Read an ocean book

Whether you're looking for picture books or chapter books, fiction or non-fiction, our list of terrific ocean books has got you covered.

2. Make an ocean in a bottle

Turn an old water bottle into a mini-aquarium. Sand, shells, and plastic sea creatures bring the ocean to you anytime.

Learn more: A Little Pinch of Perfect/Ocean in a Bottle

3. Dive into an ocean-themed sensory bin

Round up shells, toy sea animals, and maybe even a boat or two, then drop them into a bin of water. Every kid will enjoy splashing around while they learn!

Learn more: Fun Learning for Kids

4. Take a virtual aquarium field trip

Can't get to the aquarium? No problem! Take a virtual field trip instead with live webcams and video tours. See our list of virtual aquarium trips here.

5. Check out the Smithsonian's Ocean site

Just as you'd expect from the Smithsonian, this website is full of information, photos, and more ocean activities. You'll even find free lesson plans for teachers-score!

Learn more: Smithsonian Ocean

6. Assemble ocean zone bottles

Learn the zones of the ocean with these clever bottles. Simply use food coloring to dye the water deeper shades of blue to represent the amount of sunlight that reaches each zone, then add a representative sea animal toy.

Learn more: Edventures With Kids

7. Turn paint strips into ocean layers

Grab some blue paint sample strips and label them to represent the ocean layers. Then add stickers or drawings of corresponding animals to each layer.

Learn more: A Little Pinch of Perfect/Ocean Zones Crafts

8. Upcycle an ocean zones craft

Here's one more way to learn about the layers of the ocean. Use crepe paper to upcycle a plastic container, then get free printables at the link to add to your creation.

Learn more: Living Porpoisefully

9. Watch an ocean documentary

Every streaming service is loaded with nature documentaries. Disney+ has an especially robust collection that's perfect for kids. On Amazon, try Wildest Pacific or Ocean Mysteries. Netflix's new Our Planet series has episodes on coastal seas and high seas.

10. Peruse the Marine Life Encyclopedia

Looking for online ocean activities? Try the Marine Life Encyclopedia. Kids will get in-depth information about all their favorite sea creatures, from sharks to otters.

Learn more: Marine Life Encyclopedia

11. Learn how ocean currents work

This cool demo uses hot and cold water, mixed with a little food coloring, to demonstrate how ocean currents form. (The plastic sea animals are just for fun!)

12. See ocean waves in action

A layer of oil floating on the water helps make wave action more obvious. You can do ocean activities like this one in person or as an online demo.

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands/Ocean Waves

13. Explore saltwater density

Kids may be surprised to learn that it's actually easier to float in saltwater than fresh. This experiment proves it, though!

Learn more: Science Kiddo

14. Dive and Discover

Here's another website full of online ocean activities. It simulates the thrill of joining actual underwater explorations, from coral reefs to deep-sea trenches.

Learn more: Dive and Dicover

15. Put together an ocean animals notebook

Want to explore a wide variety of sea animals? Then grab this free printable 60-page notebook. Each page includes space for kids to fill in the information and add their own illustrations.

Learn more: Homeschool Giveaways

16. Do an ocean animal research project

Here's another way to explore sea creatures. Each student chooses their own favorite, then dives deep to learn all about it. Have kids give a presentation, design a slideshow, or even make their own documentary!

Learn more: 2 Literacy Teachers

17. Transform eggs into sea creatures

How adorable are these? They were made using wooden eggs, but plastic ones would work well too.

Learn more: Craft Play Learn

18. Build LEGO sea creatures

Pull out the tub of LEGO bricks and set kids free to create! Show them these pics for inspiration, then see what they can come up with on their own.

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands/LEGO Sea Creatures

19. Use a fork to paint a pufferfish

You'll be surprised at how easy this impressive painting is to create. Pick up a bag of disposable forks and get ready for undersea fun!

Learn more: Crafty Morning

20. Paint a coral reef with sponges

Here's another surprisingly easy ocean craft for kids. Cut disposable sponges into coral shapes, then stamp an underwater scene.

Learn more: Primary Theme Park

21. Sculpt sea stars from salt dough

Starfish, more properly known as "sea stars," come in a wide variety of sizes and designs. Have kids sculpt their own from salt dough or Play-Doh.

Learn more: Crafting Chicks

22. Craft a whale from a paper plate

No whale craft is complete without a spout of water from the blow-hole! All you need is a pack of paper plates to get started.

23. Draw a life-size whale

Did you know that blue whales are the largest creature EVER to have lived on Earth? They're even bigger than dinosaurs! Head to the playground with some sidewalk chalk and a tape measure to see if you can draw a life-size blue whale model.

Learn more: Edventures With Kids

24. Create a colorful seahorse

The secret to this cool marbleized pattern? Shaving cream! This is one technique that never fails to impress.

Learn more: I Heart Crafty Things

25. Hang suncatcher jellyfish

Recreate the translucent bell of a jellyfish with tissue paper, then hang ribbon tentacles for a pretty ocean craft you'll love to display.

Learn more: I Heart Arts and Crafts
Enjoyed these ocean activities? Check out 20 Wild Ways to Explore Animal Habitats With Kids. Plus, 16 Of Our Favorite National Geographic Activities Kids Can Do At Home.

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25 Ocean Activities, Experiments, and Crafts For Kids To Dive Into

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From "Baby Beluga" to Finding Nemo, kids love all things ocean! So you know they'll be eager to dive into this collection of ocean activities. They'll get to craft sea creatures, perform ocean experiments, and learn so much about our watery planet. Come on in ... the water's fine!

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Most of us remember learning about the five senses, but there are actually many more. 7 in particular are critical to early learning-the familiar five, plus two "hidden" senses that involve movement, called proprioception and the vestibular system. Activating these two hidden senses supports kids' balance and spatial awareness and helps kids feel focused, alert and ready to learn. The more chances kids have to activate their muscles and move their bodies and heads in different ways, the more input these important hidden senses receive.

One of our favorite ways to activate kids' proprioception and the vestibular system through movement is with an obstacle course. And who better to provide inspiration than creatures from the animal kingdom who hop, crawl, spin, jump, slither and more? With printable animal obstacle course cards for inspiration, it's easy to set out a few simple objects and try the ideas below to create your own animal-inspired obstacle course at home.

Prep and gather materials.

Print and cut out these animal-inspired obstacle course cards for some creature-inspired ideas (as featured in our Tinkergarten Anywhere lesson). Then, find a spot with plenty of room to move outside (or inside). Gather a variety of household items (buckets, bean bags, blanket, rope) and/or objects from nature (logs, nature treasures, rocks) that kids can use for their course.

Or take inspiration from a book.

Watch the video read aloud of Move! By Robin Page. Try out some of the marvelous ways that different animals move their bodies to get from place to place. Ask kids, "Would you like to set up some challenges to see how we can move our bodies?"

Set up a "course."

Work with your child to place the materials you gathered around your outdoor space to set up a series of physical challenges. For younger kids, you can set up the course for them to "discover." Older kids will often enjoy the process of designing the course itself. As you set up physical challenges, aim to include one of each of the following:

Something to weave their body in and out of (e.g. bean bags, rocks, pillows, books, buckets)

Something to balance on (e.g. upside down buckets, uneven rocks, stack of books, a log)

Something to walk along (e.g. coil of rope, stretched out ribbon, strip of tape, row of pillows, line of coins, line of rocks)

Something to jump onto (e.g. blanket, bed sheet or tarp)

Any open space to move, roll and crawl

Get to know your obstacle course.

Welcome kids to explore the obstacles you set up together (older kids can set up their own courses, then invite you to try them, too). As kids explore, you can prompt them to wonder things like, How many different ways can you move your heads and bodies as you move through the course? Weave your body in and out of objects on the ground. Walk along a rope. Leap or jump onto a blanket. Can you walk on top of objects and try to keep your balance?

Introduce the animal cards.

Lay out your animal cards with the images right side up. Wonder, "Do you think we could move through these obstacles like some of these animals?" Invite kids to pick an animal card, then read a bit about how the animal moves from the back of the card. How might you move through some of your obstacles like that animal? As feels supportive, model or suggest some of the ideas on the back of the card.

Move like creatures.

Enjoy moving like the animal together. Notice aloud when and how kids are moving their bodies and heads in different positions. How does it feel to move their body in this way?

Leave the course open for play.

If you can, leave the space set up with objects so kids can return to the obstacle challenges and/or continue to invent new challenges on their own.

Extend play.

Invite kids to continue choosing the animal cards that spark the most joy for them. If kids are ready for more, try out some of these ways to extend play:

Repeat! If kids love working through the obstacles, invite them to try it again. Can they do the challenge faster this time? Offer some of the additional challenges and modifications from the cards to try a different approach to each obstacle.

Add props: The addition of a simple prop or costume can boost imaginative play and inspire kids to go deeper with their movements. Use twine to tie a sock or piece of fabric around the waist to make a squirrel tail. Turn a toilet paper roll and a piece of twine into a flamingo or chicken beak. Or, try out some of these ways to create simple props that will inspire creature play.

Create your own animal-inspired challenges: What other animals might you be able to move like? How would those animals approach the obstacles you have laid out?

Add to your course: Rearrange your materials or gather additional ones to make new obstacles.

Barefoot sensory walk: As an additional challenge, set out a series of low storage bins or cookie sheets filled with various sensory materials (e.g. water, mud, dry soil, sand, leaves). How does it feel to walk through the materials with bare feet? On all fours? What sounds do the materials make?

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Animal Obstacle Course - Tinkergarten outdoor activities where kids learn through play

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One of our favorite ways to get kids moving and to activate proprioception and the vestibular system is with an obstacle course. And who better to provide inspiration than creatures from the animal kingdom who hop, crawl, spin, jump, slither and move in marvelous ways?

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Video on Farm Animals-Realtes to Activity 1

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Video on Farm Animals-Realtes to Activity 1

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Farm animals for kids - Vocabulary fo kids

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Video on Zoo animals-relates to activity 1

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Video on Zoo animals-relates to activity 1

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Educational Video - Zoo Animals - At the Zoo - English for Kids - Kids Vocabulary

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Julia Donaldson is the outrageously talented, prize-winning author of the world's best-loved picture books, and was the 2011-2013 UK Children's Laureate. Her books include Room on the Broom, Tyrannosaurus Drip, and the modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, which together have sold over 17 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over seventy languages. Julia also writes fiction as well as poems, plays and songs and her brilliant live children's shows are always in demand. Julia and her husband Malcolm divide their time between Sussex and Edinburgh. Lydia Monks is one of the most original, bestselling picture book artists working today. She illustrates several bestselling series' including the What the Ladybird Heard and Princess Mirror-Belle, both written by Julia Donaldson. Her distinctive use of colour and collage has won her critical acclaim and several awards, as well as multiple nominations for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She is also the author-illustrator of the countless picture books including, Aaaarrgghh, Spider!, Eeeeek, Mouse! and the Mungo Monkey and Twit Twoo School series'. Lydia lives in Sheffield, England.

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Who's at the Zoo? a What the Ladybird Heard Book

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A fun, interactive lifttheflap book based on the bestselling picture book What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks.Packed full of everyone's favourite zoo animals, and with a large flap to lift on every page, Who's at the Zoo?

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relates to Continuation and Forward Planning for Activity 1

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YOGA for Children - Aquatic Animals Yoga Poses  - Yoga Practice Tutorial