Things in the Ocean (All Ages)
Conduct a group brainstorming session to have your class tell you all the things they can think of that exist in the ocean, from shells to seaweed to the various ocean creatures.

What Would You Do–Ocean Edition (All Ages)
In this simple yet fun group time activity, tell kids to imagine each of the following scenarios, and then ask them what they would do if this actually happened.

• If you were swimming in the ocean and a shark started following you
• To clean up all the trash in the ocean
• You could breathe under water like a fish
• You were put in charge of keeping ocean ecosystems healthy
• You had eight limbs like an octopus
• You had a superpower that allowed you to talk to all the ocean creatures and command them to do your bidding
• You encountered a pod of friendly dolphins who wanted to play
• You were fishing and accidentally caught a tiger shark in your net, and now it’s on your boat!
• You found an injured dolphin stranded on the beach
• You were out in the middle of the ocean when your boat started sinking.

 

Curious Random Thoughts–Ocean Edition (All Ages)
Sit down with your kids and act like you’re daydreaming, swaying back and forth with your hand on your chin while staring dreamily off into the distance. Or stretch out on the floor and lay down, and have the kids in your class do the same. Then hit them with the following random thoughts, starting each sentence with “I wonder….” and then having a brief discussion about each one.

• If fish ever get thirsty.
• If most things in the ocean are afraid of sharks, is there anything sharks are afraid of?
• If people are either right-handed or left-handed, what type of handed is an octopus?
• If fish think humans smell funny.
• If it’s possible to potty train a fish.
• If I could train a shark to fetch.
• If a fish swims through another fish’s pee, do they taste it, smell it, or both?
• What sharks use to brush their teeth.

 

After you’ve exhausted your list of random thoughts, you might ask the kids if they have any random thoughts of their own, and if so, to share them with the class. It’s an activity your kids are sure to love!

Ocean Life Charades (All Ages)
One at a time call kids up to the front of the class to imitate an ocean creature with their body movements, while the other kids try to correctly guess what creature they’re imitating.

Ocean Either/Or (All Ages)
For this activity you’re going to give kids an either/or proposition, then have them tell you which one they’d prefer. Kids love the opportunity to share their opinion, and it can spark a fun little debate about which is better. Here are some pairings to get you started, but feel free to come up with your own:

• Pet shark or pet dolphin?
• Lobster or shrimp for dinner?
• Your own private yacht or your own personal submarine?
• Worse way to go: eaten by a shark or swallowed by a whale?
• Career as a scuba diver or cruise ship captain?
• Best thing to have in your home aquarium: sea horse or octopus?