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  • April 24, 2018

May 10, 2017 By Marci Goodwin 29 Comments

Ocean Animals Unit Study

This post contains affiliate links.

Why an ocean animals unit study? Here we sit in the Midwest. No ocean for hundreds of miles. Still, we are fascinated by the beach, the sand, the salt water, and the creatures that live in and around it all.

In a few weeks, our family will travel to the beach for a vacation in one of our favorite spots. The sugar white sand of the Gulf Shores, Alabama area is calling our name. While I love the sun and the sand, I also love the wildlife that we get to see.

Ocean Animals Unit Study

We love to walk the beach looking for shells, fish, and other interesting things that wash up with the waves giving us clues to what is out there in the water. The kids like to put on their swim goggles and try to spot fish near the shore and dig up sand dollars. At the nearby fishing pier, we can watch fishermen pull in all kinds of fish large and small.

ocean animals unit study

In the sand dunes, we search for sea turtle nests that have been marked by a local sea turtle conservation organization. Flying overhead we see birds like gulls and pelicans. At night, we take our flashlights on the beach to spot ghosts crabs.

Ocean Animals Unit Study

Using vacations as an educational experience is easy when you have so much to see and experience in one place. We let the kids explore and observe by themselves and see what they are interested in. Sometimes, they will get curious while you are planning. If you are getting ready to hit the beach this summer, you can use the resources in this post to create a unit study of your own to get the kids excited about the ocean or capitalize on the interest they already have.

Creating An Ocean Animals Unit Study

When creating my own unit study, I like to have a backbone or spine to work from. I find that the more basic the better for us, since we like to follow rabbit trails of new interests – a lot. Often, I will choose a resource geared toward younger learners for my older children. I do this because resources for younger learners are usually more basic and don’t get too detailed. This way, we can add the details.

ocean animals unit study

In our recent ocean animals unit study, we used the Ocean Animals lapbook with study guide from A Journey Through Learning. It was created for grades 1-4 and covered everything from ocean facts to habitats around and in the ocean to animal facts. My son is in 6th grade so we used this study as the spine.

Ocean Animals Unit Study

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Ocean Animal Links And Resources

While searching for information about ocean animals, we came across some great resources.

Ocean Animal Encyclopedia – Oceana.org

Marine Species Database – MarineBio.org

Ocean Portal – National Geographic Kids

The Ocean’s Weirdest Creatures – National Geographic Kids

Studying Sea Turtles – The Homeschool Scientist

Shark Unit Study Links – The Homeschool Scientist

Ocean Animals Lapbook and Study Guide – A Journey Through Learning {GIVEAWAY AT THE END OF THIS POST!}

 

Ocean Animal Art And Crafts

Most of these crafts and activities are designed for young learners, but, seriously, my middle and high schooler still love a good craft!

Ocean Animal Crafts –  DLTK-Kids.com

Sea Animal Crafts and Activities – BuggyAndBuddy.com

Sea Turtle Art – The Homeschool Scientist

Sea Shore Chalk Pastel Video Art Course – ChalkPastel.com

Ocean Animals Field Guides

I’ll admit. I have a serious field guide addiction, but what is a nature study without one?

Seashells: A folding pocket guide to familiar North American species

National Audubon Society Field Guide To Shells

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Seashore Creatures: North America

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes: Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Bahamas, Bermuda

California Seashore Life: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Plants & Animals

Western Coastal Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species

Eastern Coastal Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species

Ocean Animals Lapbook Giveaway

ocean animals lapbook

Start your own ocean animals unit study with an Ocean Animals Lapbook and Study Guide from A Journey Through Learning! Fill out the form below to be entered to win a free download copy of your own!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ocean Animals Unit Study

Sand Dollars Unit Study Links
Sand Learning Activities Your Kids Will Love!

Comments

  1. 1

    Maria Leeker says

    May 10, 2017 at 11:03 pm

    I am not sure of what my older ones’ favorite animals, but my youngest’s I think is the turtle.

    Reply
    • 2

      Marci Goodwin says

      May 15, 2017 at 12:14 pm

      My kids loved turtles when they were younger. That was the inspiration for my turtle posts when I first started the blog.

      Reply
  2. 3

    katie says

    May 13, 2017 at 6:33 am

    Mine likes sharks

    Reply
    • 4

      Marci Goodwin says

      May 15, 2017 at 12:15 pm

      I have one that is fascinated by sharks and the other one is terrified at the thought. We don’t talk about sharks around here while preparing for our beach vacation. lol

      Reply
  3. 5

    Amy says

    May 15, 2017 at 1:32 pm

    My twins both agreed on jellyfish and sea cucumbers. They saw a video of me diving though jellyfish and holding a sea cucumber so I think that’s why. Since I can’t dive any more, it’s fun to learn about sea animals though their eyes. 🙂

    Reply
    • 6

      Marci Goodwin says

      May 16, 2017 at 9:45 am

      Sea cucumber. Very interesting. I don’t know much about them, so I’m off to find out!

      Reply
      • 7

        Amy says

        May 16, 2017 at 10:33 am

        They are pretty funny looking, and a little squishy lol They are like a big fat caterpillar.

        Reply
  4. 8

    Lynn Nye says

    May 15, 2017 at 2:28 pm

    He claims that the sting ray is his favorite.

    Reply
    • 9

      Marci Goodwin says

      May 16, 2017 at 9:46 am

      My kids are fans of sting rays since petting them at the St. Louis Zoo.

      Reply
      • 10

        Amy says

        May 16, 2017 at 10:34 am

        Oh, mine love Stingray Bay! Can’t wait for them to open this season!

        Reply
  5. 11

    Mary. Benack says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:48 pm

    My children love frogs

    Reply
  6. 12

    Celeste Herrin says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    One loves the Sharks and the other loves the sea turtles. I think the jellyfish are really fascinating!! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

    Reply
  7. 13

    Danielle M says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    Caraline recently start liking seahorses but she has always loved dolphins

    Reply
  8. 14

    Michelle Jeske says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    My daughter loves turtles and my son loves sharks! ❤

    Reply
  9. 15

    Amber Bourland says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    Starfish and anemone.

    Reply
  10. 16

    heather marocco says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    SHARKS SHARKS SHARKS

    Reply
  11. 17

    Michelle Catallo says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:52 pm

    My youngest son loves everything about ocean life but, his all-time favorite is sharks. Mine? Sharks also. Twins? Turtles.

    Reply
  12. 18

    Denise Hauer says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:57 pm

    My boys love sharks, sea turtles and whales

    Reply
  13. 19

    Meghan K says

    May 16, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    My kids definitely like sharks because of the teeth.

    Reply
  14. 20

    Kayla Klontz says

    May 16, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    My daughter loves all aquatic animals, my son however loves whales.

    Reply
  15. 21

    Pamela Sloss says

    May 16, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    Stingrays

    Reply
  16. 22

    kelly woods says

    May 16, 2017 at 10:12 pm

    They love dolphins and whales.

    Reply
  17. 23

    Amy Deeter says

    May 16, 2017 at 10:44 pm

    My kids’ favorite ocean animals is a dolphin

    Reply
  18. 24

    Jen Freese says

    May 16, 2017 at 10:57 pm

    Sea turtles and octopus!

    Reply
  19. 25

    Tricia Jorke says

    May 16, 2017 at 11:09 pm

    My kids like Dolphins.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sand Learning Activities Your Kids Will Love! - The Homeschool Scientist says:
    May 15, 2017 at 5:35 am

    […] have already been learning so much about the ocean (if you have yet to read our most recent posts, Ocean Animals Unit Study and How Waves Affect Beaches are great places to start!) these ideas will fit right in. Sand […]

    Reply
  2. Ocean Science Lesson Bundle - The Homeschool Scientist says:
    May 22, 2017 at 5:02 am

    […] month, we’ve been learning about the ocean and the life in and around it. We’ve been doing unit studies, reading books, and watching videos. We’ve even been […]

    Reply
  3. Blue Whale Unit Study - The Homeschool Scientist says:
    August 8, 2017 at 7:40 am

    […] ocean life, mammals, or endangered species? Use this information to put together a blue whale unit study to […]

    Reply
  4. Day 12 NATURE CONVERSATION says:
    September 23, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    […] Ocean study from the Homeschool Scientist.  She also has a great article about Sand dollars. […]

    Reply

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