Going to the Ocean or an Aquarium? Try some Ocean Animal Activities!

Below are suggestions from the Ocean Thematic Unit available via this blog!  This unit includes 50+ pages of literacy, math, science, dramatic play, large motor, art, recipe ideas, power points, and internet resources.  It is a large unit that offers an assortment of activities to meet your young child’s need for FUN, PLAY, and LEARNING!

Listening and Ordinal Numbers –Ordering Sand Dollars

Materials needed: Ordering Sand Dollars.pdf (one section per child – see link above), crayons or markers
This activity works on the concepts of ordinal numbers (1^st, 2^nd, etc.) and also listening and following directions.

Cut the worksheets so each child has one row of 7 sand dollars.  Then call out a direction such as “Color the second sand dollar blue.”  Each child tries to follow the directions given and complete the task.

You can work on skills such as colors, shapes, numbers, letters, position words (above, below, etc), size concepts, etc.

Here are just a few suggestions:
Color the 3rd one red.  Draw a square around the 5^th one.  Draw an X inside the last one.  Write the number 1 on the first one.  Write the first letter of your name above the 4^th one.  Underline the 2^nd one.

Extension for younger children: The second page of the pdf file has the same sand dollars but they are also numbered 1-7.  For students who are still learning about numbers and number order, you can be numeral specific.  For example, Color the Sand Dollar with the number 4, purple.

Motion in the Ocean

Students line up on one side of the room and the teacher instructs the students to move to the other side of the room as a different sea creature.  Once on the other side of the room, have the students stop and wait for another creature/movement.
For example, swim like a fish:  students would pretend to move and swim like a fish from one side of the room to the other.
Other suggested ocean movements include:

Flap like a stingray; Pinch like a lobster; Dive like a dolphin; Crawl/walk like a crab; Jiggle like a jellyfish; Wiggle like an eel; Squirm like a snail; Swish like a seahorse

Have fun this summer discovering Ocean Animals and learning along the way!