OCEAN LIFE

UNDER THE SEA

The children will discover what lives under the water.

Materials needed Blue and green crayons Cheese grater Wax paper Iron Sea animal shapes Towel

What to do:

1. Cut out shapes of sea animals (fish, octopus, sea horse, crab, star fish, etc.) Peel paper off crayons. Heat iron away from children. Have two pieces of wax paper for each child. Place grater on top of one piece of wax paper.

2. Let the children rub the crayons on the grater.

3. Let the children add animal shapes to their picture.

4. Place another piece of wax paper on top of picture.

5. Put picture on top of towel.

6. The teacher can iron the wax paper together. Press lightly and the children can see steam and feel heat coming off of iron. Watch how the iron melts the crayons and it makes it seem like ocean water.

7. Hang in window when finished *Examine real ocean water If you are near a beach, visit or have someone bring in a bucket of ocean water to examine what's in it. *Walk with children this week on the ocean floor. See what it is like to sleep under water, watch rainbow fish swimming above your head, avoid a barracuda's sharp teeth, discover "super star" starfish, and delight in the spongey texture of a special school of fish -- all in the diving helmet you made yourself from a simple grocery sack.

Of course, ocean activities spark conversations about water and the creatures that live in it. Activities that can be enjoyed are simple water play, learning different types of bodies of water (oceans, lakes, ponds, etc.), testing the flexibility of our limbs during a crab-walk relay, talking like dolphins & whales, and making our own tuna fish sandwiches.

Use this time to introduce opposite-type of concepts such as wet/dry. We used a book called *Wet or Dry*... it was a collection of photos, and each child took turns answering the question, "Wet or dry?" There are many wonderful books that will emphasize fun with ocean life at the library... hurry there and check out a bunch!

DIVING HELMETS

An idea from the archives at MOMS Online - see more details/photos there! SUPPLIES: Glue (Elmers or similar) Brown Grocery Sack Construction Paper Fish Cutouts Misc. tissue paper Crayons/Markers Fish Stencils

WHALE WATER SCOOP MATERIALS

Clean plastic gallon milk jug Permanent marker Scissors Turn the gallon jug onto its side so that the handle is at the top. With the marker, draw a mouth shape on the base of the jug and extending partway up the sides, as shown. Cut along the lines with scissors, creating a widemouthed scoop (a parent's job). Using the marker, outline the edge of the mouth and add eyes and a blowhole.

Play Fish Tank

Take a card board box open on one side and have the children paint the inside blue and then give each child a precut fish (or have them design their own) have the children decorate the fish with glitter, sequins, feathers, whatever is on hand. Then suspend the fish with fishing wire from the fish tank. It will look like the fish are swimming. Allow the children to add things to the tank like rocks, plants etc.

Make our own aquarium

Cover your classroom windows with blue paper and the kids decorated the 'water' with fish and other sea life.

*When we studied sharks, we created underwater shark scenes with tempera paint and added Kindergarten writing (whatever they could write at their level) telling about their picture.

*Here's a great center game that we played after studying whales. We discussed that whales have poor eyesight, but they can find food on their own. (Just as we use our sense of hearing to tell where things are, whales use their sense of hearing to do the same.) Work with a partner and imagine that you are a whale. Partner A puts on a blindfold or covers his/her eyes. Partner B taps on the table in 3 different places. After each tap, Partner A points to the direction where he/she thinks the tap came from. Partner B records his/her answers by drawing a 'Good Job' whale if the tap is located or a 'Lost Whale' if the tap was not located. Then the partners trade places and they repeat the game. My students loved playing this while I covered my eyes. They liked trying to 'stump' me!! (And they did a few times!!)

This activity is a great cumulative activity for the unit. It's a cognitive guessing game (sort of like 20 questions). A picture of a sea animal is taped to the back of a student one at a time. Then they turn around so that everyone else knew what sea animal they were. The child was then required to ask yes or no questions to try and determine what sea animal they were (eg. Am I a mammal? A Fish? Bigger than a Kindergartner?). The children had a lot of fun with this game and I was able to see that they understood the unit.

Fingerpaint with green, blue tinted shaving cream, offering various"combs" to drag through and make ripples. We'll do this on smooth trays, and take a print when they've finished playing and experimenting. (we are mostly offering this because it's occurred to us that we haven't had shaving cream for a LONG time -

Stamp schools of fish - potato stamps, commercial etc...onto a peice of paper to create an aquarium.

Waxed paper idea

Arrange grass, ferns etc, along with fish stickers on one sheet of wax paper, sprinkle crayon shavings here and there - emphasize shades of blue, but all colors look okay), and iron.

Watercolor blue, silver, green over a crayoned fish. I love to do this! Have the kids color as hard as they can onto a peice of construction paper. when finished...take watered down paint and completely cover the colored picture. Then take a damp paper towel and wipe the paint off where the colored portion is. Looks really cool!!!!!

Fish Bowls

You will need two white paper plates. Cut the center out of one plate and the children colored/painted the whole paper plate with blue for the ocean. I had cut out some sea creatures, seahorses, sharks, fish, octopuses, and even some whales.The children glued their sea creatures to the blue background.The rim(of the one you cut the center out of) was wrapped with blue saran wrap and then stapled to the ocean scene. They could look through the saran wrap and see what was inside their little aquarium.

Seahorse for the letter S. The children glued on one googley eye and covered the seahorse with glue. They then sprinkled sand over the seahorse.

Magnetic fishing

If you cut felt fish out so they're models of the real thing, You can narrate as the kids catch them. ie., you caught a squid, you caught a dog fish shark and a spiny sea urchin. The kids will quickly learn the names of the sealife in your area.

* Cut fish out of meat trays and kids paint and make prints. They look like fish with scales because of the pattern on the meat trays.

* You can print with real fish and squid and stuff by painting on them and then printing. This works best with pieces of sheet material or other cloth for the printing. It really looks cool if you let the kids paint or dye the cloth with a pale blue and green liquid water color wash the day before. Then use black and silver or other dark color to paint the fish.

* Post pictures of real sea life near the art table. Provide oil pastels and liquid water color for an ocean wash, (green and blue and red looks really nice). The children can paint a resist sea picture.

* Underwater sea collage - Provide sea shells, sponge pieces, sand, colored cellophane pieces for coral and or pieces of real coral, little fish cut from shiny paper, pieces of sand dollars, etc. (anything that comes from the sea), glue, matboard, and oil pastels. * Make outlines of sea life on poster board with slick paint or colored glue. When the glue is dry, children can make crayon rubbings of the sealife.

Shell Fun

Have on hand a wide variety of shells. Let the children sort the shells into group by kind, size, texture, etc. Have them count the nujber of shells in each group. Continue by asking the children to find the smallest and largest shell. Then have take turns balancing the shells in each hand to see which is heaviest and which is lightest.

MATH SKILLS-Floating and Sinking Chart

Chart Collect items that float in water and items that do not. On a piece of paper, draw three columns. Title the first column "Float?" and list the names of the items under the title. Write "Yes" and "No" at the top of the second and third columns. Let the children place each item in a tub of water and record whether or not it floats by making a check mark in the appropriate column on the chart. Count together the number of check mark in each column and discuss with the children the results lf theif experiment.

Flying Fish Socks: Get a large box. Paint the box blue to represent the ocean. Ask parents to send in any unmatched socks they do not want. Have the children use permanent markers to decorate the socks to resemble fish. Once the fish have been decorated, fill the socks partially with handfuls of dried beans, then secure the ends with rubber bands. Let the children take turns tossing the flying fish into the box.

Handprint Ocean Animals:

Allow each student to presshis hand in tempera paint and then carefully press it on a piece of paper. when the kid's paper is dry have him make an ocean animal using the handprint. They could make fish, octopuses, crabs, etc. Create an ocean scene using the handprints.

Tissue Paper Fish:

Gather a package of paper plates, tissue paper, scissors and glue. Pre-mark one paper plate for each child with a pie-shaped wedge (for the tail). Instruct each child to cut along the lines to remove the wedge. Next, staple the pointed side of teh wedge to the opposite end of the plate to form the tail. Give each child several pieces of colored tissue paper and have him tear them into pieces about 1"X1". Have each decorate the fish by gluing the pieces on. You could also use colored cellophane paper. This fish looks like the Rainbow Fish.

Paper Plate Jellyfish:

Gather a package of paper plates, glue, streamers and scissors. Cut each plate in half. Give each child 1/2 of the plate. Cut a long strip of crepe paper and mark into sixteen 6" sections. Instruct the kids to cut the crepe paper on the marks and then glue these pieces onto the bottom edge to look like tentacles. Use crayons to make a face on the plate.

Paper Plate Oysters: Gather a paper plate and a cotton ball for each child. Also you will need gray and pink paints and glue. The kids should fold the plates in half and paint the insides of the "oyster" pink. When the pink is dried they should paint the outside of the plate gray. To complete they can glue the "pearl" into the the center of the oyster.

See-Through Ocean Scene: Have the children draw on a piece of newsprint paper an ocean animal scene with crayons. When finished use a cotton ball with baby oil and cover the paper with the oil. Allow the picture to dry for several days and the end result will be a bright transparent ocean scene.

Underwater Scene: Have the child draw on a piece of white construction paper an underwater ocean scene with crayons. Press HARD! When finished they are to cover the paper with blue watercolor paint to make a bright underwater scene.
* Beach Color rock salt by soaking in alcohol and food coloring. I made blue, green, and brown. Children make a collage using blue or green for the ocean, brown for the sand and some uncolored rock salt for shells. My class loved doing this because the rock salt looks like gem stones.

Ocean theme wall hangings You will need: 6 in white paper plates, aquarium gravel (we like blue best) I find this in pet stores or stores like KMart, shells, glue, blue glitter (optional), confetti fish The children can decorate the rim of the paper plate with crayons, markers, ect. They come up with some really interesting color patterns! Next let the children drizzle lots of white glue in the center of the decorated plate. Working in a box, they can sprinkle on aquarium gravel. Next, using more glue, children can add shells, blue glitter, confetti sharks etc. Punch a hole in the edge, add a blue string and hang when dry.

Paper plate fish: Use a regular size paper plate and cut a triangle out of it as if you were cutting out a piece of pie. Staple the pointed end of the pie to the opposite side of the place where you cut out. This way the plate has an opening for the fishes mouth and on the opposite side is the fishes tail. Let the children paint, color,glitter, whatever they want to decorate the fish. Don't forget to tell them to add an eye - this brings character to the fish! * Starfish: Cut out the shape of a starfish on a piece of tan construction paper. Let the children paint the starfish with glue and sprinkle cornmeal over the glue. You could also glue cheerios on the bottom for the starfishes feet. * Octopus: This one is a little hard. Draw a picture of an octopus and let the children cut it out. An octopus can be drawn by having a "blob" for a head and legs coming out of it. Have the children glue the octopus to a piece of paper and add sealife drawing around it like fish, seahorses, starfish, sharks, or plants.

Gross Motor Activities

CRAB WALK

Have kids lay on their backs. Then help them lift up their bottoms, then start walking on the hands and feet..

Creative Movement: 1. Wiggle across the floor, using no arms-pretend to swim like a whale. 2. Using wading pool swim like a fish. 3. Imitate blow hole of whales using sprinkler, run through before he spays again. 4. Using props made by children, wiggle an eel from the corals back to home. 5. inside a pillow case, squirm like an eel. 6. Act out ocean poems or songs. (see below)

SAND SCULPTURES

2 CUPS SAND 1CUP CORNSTARCH 1 CUP WATER

Mix sand and cornstrarch in saucepan. stir in water. Heat mixture, while stirring. When thick, remove from heat and cool. *Crabs Fingerpainting - On paper dribble some corn syrup and then sprinkle on some red and yellow powder tempera paints. Let the children fingerpaint. It will be sticky but they love it. Allow the papers to dry a day or two. The surface is really similar to a crab's shell. I have crab tracers of different sizes and trace them onto the paintings. Have the kids cut them out.

Swimming Fish Snack

8oz. softened cream cheese, blue food coloring, 1 bowl rectangular-shaped crackers, & 2 cups small fish shaped crackers

Add a few drops of blue food coloring to the cream cheese and stir. For each serving, spread cream cheese on a large, rectanglar cracker. Place a few fish- shaped crackers on top of the cream cheese.

Ocean Blue Vanilla Milkshakes

Ingredients (for each milkshake) 3/4 c vanilla ice cream blue food coloring 1/4 c 2% milk Materials: ice cream scoop tall plastic container for mixing big spoon small, clear, drinking glasses drinking straws (this would be a good time to use fishy straws) For each milkshake, place 2 or 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream in you tall plastic container. Let the ice cream sit in your plastic container for about 10 minutes at room temp. Next, have the children put 1 or 2 drops of blue food coloring into the ice cream and then pour in about one quarter cup of milk. Have the kids use a big spoon to gently stir all of the ingredients together. You may need to add a little more ice cream or a bit more milk, depending on the consistency of your milkshake. Pour your milkshake into a small, clear, drinking glass.

Graham cracker aquariums

Ingredients: graham cracker squares (1 per child)

peanut butter

celery

cheerios

pepperidge farm Goldfish Crackers

materials: waxed paper knife or spoon to spread the peanut butter sharp knife (for adult use only)

Give each child a square of waxed paper to work on. Next, give each child a graham cracker square, about a tablespoon of peanut butter. Have the kids spread the peanut butter all over one side of the cracker. While they are doing this, have an adult use a sharp knife to cut the celery into about 3 in. lengths. Now, slice the celery long ways into very thin 3 in. pieces. This will be used for seaweed in the aquarium. After the kids have finished spreading the P.B. give each of them about 1/4 c. of cheerios. Have them crumble several cheerios and press the crumbles along the bottom of the cracker square so that they stick in the P.B. This will make the sand. Now give each child about 10 Pepperdige Farm goldfish crackers. Have the children stick the goldfish on their sides into the P.B. on the cracker. Add some extra P.B. to the goldfish if needed to make them stick. Now, take a few cheerios and stick them onto the P.B. above the goldfish to make air bubbles. Next give each child several thin sticks of celery to stick onto their aquarium to make seaweed.

Eat some ocean!

Using a new clean glass aquarium for your dish, mix and prepare enough blue- colored jello to fill the bowl at least 3/4 full. When partially set, you can mix in or arrange, some new clean aquarium plastic plants or other safe decor (the jello is intended for eating so be sure anything you mix in is compatible and SAFE for having in food!), and some different shapes of gummy fish ... When you are inserting and mixing in these things, it slighly unsettles the jello and looks even more realistic

RELATED SONGS AND POEMS

*The Waves Move (Sung to: "The farmer in the dell")

The waves move up and down, Without making a sound.

They move through water and through air, The waves move up and down.

The waves move up and down, Without making a sound.

They move everywhere, The waves move up and down.

*The legend of the Pointsettia

That I would like to tell

Of the birth and death of Jesus Found in this lowly shell.

If you examine closely,

You'll see that you find here Four nail holes

and a fifth one Made by a Roman spear.

On one side the Easter lily, Its center is the star

That appeared unto the shepherds And led them from afar.

The Christmas poinsettia Etched on the other side

Reminds us of his Birthday, Our Happy Christmastide.

Now break the center open And here you will release

The five white doves awaiting To spread Good Will and Peace.

This simple little symbol, Christ left for you and me To help us spread His Gospel Through all eternity.

*Make a Sand Cake

Make a sand cake In the sand.

Digging and sifting Just feels grand!

*The Sand Castle

Sand castle on the beach,

I built you big and strong. (raise arms high)

A wave washed in upon the sand.

Whoops! You were gone! (swing hands down, then up.)

*I Like Sand

Sand can be wet, And sand can be dry.

I like both And I'll tell you why.

I can make castles With wet sand.

And pouring it dry Feels just grand.

*Shells, Shells, Shells

Giant shells, tiny shells (form cirlces with fingers for shells)

Shells wherever I look.

There are so very many shells, I could write a book.

Rainbow shells, purple shells,

Shells that curve around.

I can see the beauty here Just lying on the ground.

*We're Little Orange Crabs (Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell")

We're little orange crabs Who live down by the sea,

And where we do go We're quick as quick can be.

We're little orange crabs Who like to run and hide,

And when you see us walking by It's always side to side.

*Dolphin Family Song (sung to the tune of the Adam's Family)

When they get into the notion They jump out of the ocean With tail fluke locomotion,

The Dolphin family Swim in the sea, eee eee Swin in the sea, eee eee

Swim in the sea Live in a pod Swim in the sea, eee eee

I bet you didn't suppose Their blow hole was their nose

And in and out the air goes

The Dolphin family Swin in the sea, eee eee Swim in the sea, eee eee Swim in the sea, Live in a pod Swim in the sea, eee eee

*THE OCTOPUS

Tell me, O Octopus, I begs,

Is those arms or is those legs?

I marvel at thee, Octopus;

If I were thou, I'd call me Us.

*ELECTRIC EEL

Some think Electric Eel lacks looks,

Some others find it stunning.

A homegrown battery it packs

To keep its shockers running.

Why, you could light all New York's streets

And sky scrapers and stuff,

With one Electric Eel alone,

If it were long enough.