Deep Blue Sea Fun & Games

Shark Tooth Hunt
Put several shark teeth (fake or real) in your sand table. Let your children sift through the sand and find the teeth.

Sponge Animals
Cut starfish and fist shapes out of sponges. Let your children play with these in your water table.

Balloon Fish
Fill balloons with water. Draw on fins, mouths, etc. Let your children play with these in the water table. For an added effect add fishnets and let your children try to catch the fish.

Who has the Ocean Creature?
Cut out several pictures of different ocean creatures. Pull the names of the creatures out of a hat. The person that has that creature stands up. The last child sitting wins!

Dive Under the Ocean
Put several plastic ocean creatures under a sheet. Call out a child's name and say "(Child's Name) dive under the ocean" then have that child go under the sheet and retrieve an ocean creature. When they have their creature have them tell the class what it is (or if they're too young you can tell them).

Feed the Shark
Draw a large shark face on a piece of poster board or the side of a box. Cut a hole out where the shark's mouth would be and add paper teeth (make it at least twice the size of the beanbag). Tape the board to a chair and let each of your children take three tries to feed the shark (by throwing a beanbag into the shark's mouth).

Fish, Fish, Shark!
Just like duck, duck, goose!

Octopus
Put your children into groups of four. Have them try to make an octopus with waving tentacles. This is a great activity, they can use their arms or legs as tentacles, while working to stay together as one group.

Hidden Treasure
Get a small bucket or trough and fill it partially with water, fill this trough with seaweed or other sea vegetation. Hide small treasures on the bottom of the trough and let your children search for these items. Warning: This is very messy and fun!

How Long is a Whale
Ask your kids how long they think the largest creature in the world is. Then get a long rope (about 100 feet) and have them unwind it. They will be amazed at how long a blue whale is. Next ask them how many of their lengths it would take to make a blue whale (You can actually do this if you have the time)

Beach Towel Day
Let the children bring in a beach blanket during beach week. They can take naps on them are sit on them during activity time.

Fish in a Boat
Cut the styrofoam containers used to hold hotdogs (like you get at a carnival, or baseball game or fast food place with a hot dog to go) and cut the top and bottom apart. This created two "boats". Next I cut out simple fish from all different colors of construction paper and gave one fish of each color to each child along with a boat. We spread the fish on the floor and sang this chant: "Fishy fishy, in the sea, jump in to my boat for me! Fishy, fishy in the sea, what color fish will you be?" Next I called a color and they had to find that fish and put it in their boat. We had a lot of fun with this and reviewed our colors at the same time!

Beach Party
Have your children wear their swimsuits one day and have a beach party complete with beach balls, volleyball (over a short net or no net at all), Frisbee's, etc.

Seashell Imprints
Give each of your children some play-dough and let them explore making imprints with different ocean items (seashells, starfish, sea horse shapes, etc)

Sea Shell Sort and Match
Cut a variety of seashell shapes, colors, and sizes from paper. Your children can do various things with these:
*  Sort them by color
*  Sort them by shape
*  Sequence them from smallest to largest
*  Match them by shape
*  Match them by color
*  Match them by size
*  Hide them around the room and search for them

Seafood Limbo
Have your children play limbo by acting like different sea animals. (i.e.: wiggle like a fish, walk like a crab, slide like an eel, etc.)

Go Fish
Create a fishing pole using a stick and a piece of yarn with a magnet tied to the end. Write different prizes on paper and tape them to magnets. Have your children try to catch the prizes.

Seashell Imprints
Give each of your children some play-dough and let them explore making imprints with different ocean items (seashells, starfish, sea horse shapes, etc)

Sea Shell Sort and Match
Cut a variety of seashell shapes, colors, and sizes from paper. Your children can do various things with these:
*  Sort them by color
*  Sort them by shape
*  Sequence them from smallest to largest
*  Match them by shape
*  Match them by color
*  Match them by size
*  Hide them around the room and search for them

Shadow Play
Have your children cut out different sea creature shapes. Then have them paint them any way that they want. Finally, hang up a sheet in front of an overhead projector, turn off the lights, and let your children act out scenes with shadow fish. Note: Play sea music while your children act out their scenes.

Octopus Tentacle Match
Make a large round octopus head. Then put different numbers of dots, letters, or stickers around the head. Put corresponding dots, letters, or stickers on tentacles. Have your children match the tentacles to the correct spot on the head.

Charlie Over the Ocean
Have one child close their eyes and then select a shape from a shape poster. Then all of your children chant:
(Child's Name) over the ocean, (Child's Name) over the sea. 
(Child's Name) over the ocean, find a shape for me. 
Then the child guesses a shape. And the class responds
"Yes (No) it is (isn't) a _______".

Pass the Fish
Have the children sit in a circle and pass around a toy fish while the whole class chants
"Who caught a fish in the big blue sea?" 
(Student Holding Fish's Name) caught a fish in the big blue sea!
Student Holding Fish's Name says, "Who me?" 
The Class says, "Yes, you!" Student says, "Couldn't be!"
Class replies, "Then who?" Then start passing the fish again.

Fish in the ocean
Have one (or several children) be the shark. The rest of your children must try to cross the ocean (a set space that you specify) and not get eaten (tagged) by the shark. If they get caught then they join the shark to try to catch more fish. Keep playing until everyone is sharks.

Crab Walk Race
In an open area, place your hands (fingers facing away from you) and your feet should be flat on the floor.  Crawl backwards.  See who can win.  You can do this with only one person and it is still a lot of fun.

Math, Science & Sensory

Sea Habitat
Put things that exist in a sea habitat (sand, small shells, smooth stones, seaweed, etc) in a small box for your children to look at.

Sea Water
Show your children seawater by bringing in ocean water or adding salt to lake water.

Difference in Water Types
Have two bowls of water. One saltwater and one fresh let your children taste and smell the different waters. Then let them float different items in the different waters. (Items that will not float in regular water will float in salt water) Finally, put two small amount in the freezer and check on them every couple of hours (the salt water will freeze slower)

Marine Animal
Place several different pictures of marine animals in an area. Talk to your children about the animals habitat, what they eat, etc.

How Long is a Whale
Ask your kids how long they think the largest creature in the world is. Then get a long rope (about 100 feet) and have them unwind it. They will be amazed at how long a blue whale is. Next ask them how many of their lengths it would take to make a blue whale (You can actually do this if you have the time)

Why they Live where they live
Talk to your children how some animals live near the top of the ocean where the water is warmer (fish, etc) while others live lower where it is cooler (whales, etc) Then show them that hot water rises by filling a clear container with cold water. Next add blue hot water (dye with blue food coloring) The hot blue water will rise to the top of the pitcher

Oil and Water
Talk to your children about the travesties when oil was spilt into the ocean. Then show them how oil floats on water by pouring water into a pan and then pouring oil on top of it.

Magnified Shells and Sand
Place several shells and sand along with a magnifying glass in an area of your classroom. Your children will love getting to see the patterns and makeup of these items.

Salt and Freshwater Animals
Make a salt water solution and dye it with food coloring. Fill the jar half full of salt solution and then slowly pour plain tap water on top of the solution. The salt water will stay at the bottom of the solution because it is heavier. Release a couple of small brine shrimp (check a pet store) and a goldfish into the solution. The shrimp will go to the seawater bottom while the goldfish will stay at the top (freshwater).

Dry Seaweed
Put seaweed (purchase from the grocery store) in your water table. This makes the area smell like the sea. The seaweed also feels like the real thing.

Waves in a Bottle
Fill a plastic soda bottle half way with blue died water. Next fill the remainder of the bottle with oil Now your children can make waves by tilting the bottle.

Aquarium
Put an Aquarium in your room full of fish. Children love to watch the fish swim around. Hint: Don't use ocean animals, as they are much harder to take care of.


Literacy

House for Hermit Crab, By Eric Carle
Hermit the crab outgrows his shell and finds a new one that is a good size, but too plain-looking for him. As he goes on his way, he meets six sea creatures that he asks to live with him.

Mister Seahorse, by Eric Carle
After Mrs. Seahorse deposits her eggs in his pouch, Mr. Seahorse drifts gently through the sea, meeting five other fish fathers who participate in prenatal care.

Big Al, by Andrew Clements
Big Al is a fish who wants a friend. But, although he is kind and gentle, his scary appearance frightens all of the other fish away.

Blue Sea, by Robert Kalan
Little fish swims in the blue sea with big fish, bigger fish, and biggest fish. Along the way, little fish swims through coral, boats, and nets. Is little fish able to get away from big, bigger, and biggest fish?

Somewhere in the Ocean, by Jennifer Ward & T.J. Marsh
Set to the tune "Over in the Meadow", this catchy counting story travels to the depths of the ocean discovering manatees, sea turtles, tiger sharks and many other ocean dwelling creatures.

Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Swimmy is a fast black fish who finds himself alone after his brothers and sisters are swallowed by a tuna fish. Swimmy is happy when he meets new friends however, they are afraid of the dangers of the sea especially the big fish.

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
This scaled down version of the enchanting tale of rainbow fish with glittering scales teaches us all an important lesson in life: That even though we all may have special gifts and talents, the only way to truly appreciated these gifts is to share them with others.

Puppets

Undersea Puppets
Here are some suggestions for sea creature puppets, you can make and use with your children while reading stories or singing songs. They are also great for encouraging your children to make up their own stories and songs.

Octopus Puppet – Use a paper half circle for a body and draw on eyes. Glue or tape eight ribbon pieces hanging down from the straight edge for arms, and add a craft stick handle.

Sea star Puppet – Cut a sea star shape out of paper. Using a marker, add a face and cover the shape with dot “spines”. For a handle, tape on a plastic straw.

Oyster Puppet – Paint a hinged, burger carton gray (add a drop of dishwashing liquid to help the paint stick). Draw on a face and glue a small plastic-foam ball inside for a pearl.


Writing

Ocean Writing
Finger Painting Letters
Give your children plain pieces of finger painting paper.  Place a dollop of blue paint in the middle of each paper.  Have children finger paint with the blue paint.  Show them how to create a clean slate by pushing the side of their hand across their papers.  Then have them draw letters or words on their papers.