O is for Ocean

This week we dove into the ocean! Instead of writing about it… let’s do Show-and-Tell instead!


Field Trip at the Aquarium. They had a special exhibit on jellyfish that was fascinating & beautiful. We saw the dolphin show, played in the kids exploring area, and saw lots of amazing fish in the coral reef. Thanks to my hubby for taking the day off to join us! What a creative God we have to make so many beautiful & unique fish – WOW!

Field Trip - Aquarium




We decorated our school room with Fishy Handprints & blue crepe paper. The kids were thrilled!

Ocean Theme Preschool Decorations




We made hand fish to decorate our room & in honor of Dr. Seuss’ classic One Fish Two Fish. We painted the kiddos Hands & Feet to make Lobsters. Seriously, aren’t they adorable?!?! And we made hand octopus along with our My Father’s World curriculum. (There will be more info on how to make Fish Hands & Lobster Hand/Feet later)


Hand Fish CraftHand/Feet Lobster CraftHand Octopus - My Father's World





Themed Lunches: “Fish” Tuna Sandwich & Octopus Hotdog


Click for Fish Food Fun PostClick for Fish Food Fun Post


I am so grateful to Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations for her wonderful Ocean Preschool Pack. My kids favorite parts were: Finding all the “O”s in the words & marking them with bingo markers, tracing words, prewriting practice (I can’t believe how far Minnie has come in several weeks), Ocean/Land Animal Cut & Paste Activity, and how many fish in the ocean counting activity. There are many more great FREE printables in this packet.


We also loved the Girly Under the Sea preschool pack from Carisa at 1+1+1=1.  The graphics from this packet are seriously too cute! My daughter LOVED them! Their favorite activities from this great pack: number practice, which number comes next, graphing activity, and shape practice. My daughter hung up all the adorable Sea friends in her room. This wonderful pack is also FREE!


O is for Ocean Worksheets





We did a REALLY fun Jell-O Sensory activity. As I was trying to think of a fun, creative sensory activity for the week (other than going to the aquarium) I came up with this one. I put in the blue Jell-O fish, sharks, and other sea gummies. The kids were shocked when I told them they could put their hands IN the food =-) They went in, tentatively at first, but quickly lost their inhibitions! They surprised me by not going right for the candy & asking to eat it. Instead they pointed out that the Jell-O was slimy – like fish and cold – like the ocean. They noticed their hands turned green. Then they discovered that if you put the slippery fish in their slippery hands and squeezed the fish slid out – sometimes up, sometimes down. They got a HUGE kick out of this and we spent the better part of an house guessing which way they would come out next & playing in the Jell-O. When we were done I told them they could eat the gummy stuff – they were so excited! It was such a fun & unique sensory activity.


Sensory Tub - Jello (LivingLifeIntentionally.blogspot.com)





I also made some Spanish Vocabulary cards so the kids could learn lots of Ocean vocabulary! You can click on the image below to download. It is for your own personal use only. Please do not copy or host my work. You are welcome to link anyone you like back to my blog (In fact, I’d appreciate it!), just please don’t link them directly to the download. Thanks!!


FREE Download - Spanish Ocean Vocabulary Cards  Download Fish Alphabet A to Z


Here are some great books we read for our Ocean week. My favorite is Under the Sea by my favorite informative kids author – Anna Milbourne. If you haven’t done so already – check her out!! The other don’t miss book is The Pout-Pout Fish! It is so cute, fun illustrations, and catchy writing. It was a quick favorite in our house! Finally, The Undersea Treasure Hunt has a lift the flap on each page, beautifully written, colorful illustrations, and a great message (treasure is the ocean) – we picked this one up on a cruise & have enjoyed it oh so many times since!





                                  

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Beth Gorden is a homeschooling mother of six who strives to enjoy every moment with her kids through hands-on learning, crafts, new experiences, and lots of playing together. Beth is also the creator and author of 123 Homeschool 4 Me where she shares 1000+ free printables, creative homeschool lessons, crafts, and other fun ideas to help preschool and homeschooling families have fun while learning and exploring together.