Showing posts with label ocean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ocean. Show all posts

Monday, July 25, 2022

Children's Books About Sharks in English and Spanish

To continue our celebration of Shark Week 🦈, I started looking through all the bilingual shark-themed children's books on the market. I put together a list of the ones in English and Spanish that I liked best. There are a couple that had both English and Spanish versions. I tried to list all of the titles below starting with books for the youngest "readers" first. 

If you are looking for activity books with a shark-theme, then be sure to check out my post on Children's Crafts & Activities for Shark Week. I've listed those separately at the bottom of that post.

Happy reading!

This post contains affiliate links.

Books about Sharks


Children's Books in English that Feature Sharks


by Jess Keating



Sharks
(Smithsonian Kids First Discovery Books)



by Erwin Lorinser



by Brian Skerry






Children's Books in Spanish that Feature Sharks



Tiburones sorprendentes
by Nicola Davies



Tom y el último Tiburón
by Erwin Lorinser



by Tamia Sheldon



by Anna Membrino






(Scroll up for English version.)
by Mike Lowery





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Wednesday, July 20, 2022

24+ Ocean-Themed Activities for Kids

24+ Ocean-Themed Activities for Kids


This year, shark week starts next Sunday. To prep for the occasion and celebrate summer, I started looking for ocean-themed activities for kids. There are SO many great ones available! I know that if you are looking for crafts or printables for your ocean-themed studies, you have a good chance of finding one on this list. 

The best part is that most of the crafts can be done in any language. The printables are in English only until I can find or make some bilingual ones to add. 

To further dive into ocean studies with your family, consider checking out my list of 15 Children's Books about the Ocean. It includes Spanish titles, too. And you may enjoy my post on 5 Ways to Explore the Ocean with Young Children.

Ocean-Themed Kids Crafts


Here's a list of hands-on crafts for kids to make as they explore ocean life.

For Toddlers

  1. A Sweet Octopus Craft
    Here's an easy toilet paper roll craft for little fingers from Mommy Snippets. Parents can help cut the tentacles, or just draw lines and let their little ones practice their cutting skills. 

  2. DIY Fishing Pole and Fish
    This craft/activity from Mindy Makes is great for young kids to play with, but probably needs older kids (←YES!) or parents to make it. 

  3. Floating Egg Carton Whale
    Barley & Birch has an easy tutorial for this crazy cute and clever whale craft! They also have this awesome Clay Sea Slug craft that teaches children about form and color. 

  4. Paper Plate Starfish
    A simple craft from Taming Little Monsters that is fun for both toddlers and older children. She also has this Octopus Fine Motor Activity made out of felt that is so clever and delightful!

  5. Paper Plate Tropical Fish Craft
    Crafts by Amanda has this excellent idea for making paper plate fish. This is such a colorful activity.  

  6. Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft
    About a Mom has a tutorial for creating these bright and cheerful jellyfish.

  7. Jellyfish Felt Craft
    If your little one is really into jellyfish, here's another way to make one from Mommy Made That.

  8. Under the Sea Craft
    Here's an activity from Wonder in His World that develops fine motor skills with coloring, cutting, and gluing.

  9. Orange Peels Crab Craft
    This is the CUTEST little craft from Little Ladoo. And for this one, you can give your kids permission to play with their food!

  10. 3D Crab Craft For Kids
    I think that kids in late elementary will love this 3D crab craft from Simple Everyday Mom.

For Older Children


These crafts may be enjoyed more by children up to 12 years old (and possibly older). 



  1. How To Build A Clay Fish For Kids
    If you're looking for a more challenging activity for older children, this tutorial from Crafty Art Ideas is excellent. Especially for young clay lovers.

  2. Ocean Slime Recipe
    Aren't scared of a little slime? Then this project from BabySavers is for you! You might also like this little Mason Jar Aquarium if your little one has been begging for a pet fish.

  3. Layers of the Ocean Soap Project
    If you have the tools, or are willing to purchase them, this is a really neat educational activity from STEAM Powered Family. You may also enjoy their tutorial for making Ocean Moon Dough.

  4. How to Make a Moving Paper Fish
    So, so brilliant. Here's a great tutorial from Crafts and Printables for making this moving fish - and you probably have everything you need right in your house. 

  5. God's Eye Baby Turtles
    If your kids love making ojo de dios crafts, then this little sea turtle one from Pink Stripey Socks may be for you!


Ocean-Themed Printables for Children


If you prefer print-and-go activities, consider this list of ocean-themed downloads. 


  1. Sea Animal Playdough Mats
    Taming Little Monsters also has these awesome printable playdough mats! Download the free printable. 

  2. Ocean Fill-In Puzzle
    Tree Valley Academy has this challenging print-and-go ocean vocabulary puzzle. 

  3. Free Dolphin Life Cycle Printables
    Designed by About a Mom for early elementary, preschoolers can also do them with help. 

  4. Sea Turtles Unit Study
    Here's a free unit study from Hess Un-Academy that is great for kids ages 4 to 12. 

  5. Coral Coloring Pages
    Great for any age, these coral reef coloring pages from Nature Inspired Learning are simple and lovely.

  6. Jellyfish Worksheets For Kids
    These jellyfish worksheets from Simple Everyday Mom are perfect for kids who want or need to practice their letter recognition, handwriting skills, and scissors skills.

  7. FREE Printable Under the Sea Kids Activity Pack
    SwagGrabber has this 7-page printable activity pack. Print just one page or all to suit your needs.

  8. Dolphin Facts for Kids To Learn & Study
    Here's a printable trivia game about dolphins from Homeschool and Happiness.

  9. Mermaid Coloring Pages
    Collective Crayon has these whimsical printable mermaid coloring pages.  

Ocean-Themed Kits


If you are looking for a kit that already comes with everything you need, consider one of these!











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Thursday, June 30, 2022

15 Children's Books about the Ocean

 

There are so many fabulous books about the ocean now available for children. And summer is one of the best times to explore them because - hello! - trips to the beach! We used to go to the beach all the time when we lived on the East Coast. Now that we're in Texas, we miss those beach trips terribly. 

So I have been looking at ocean-themed children's books to share with my youngest. If you are looking for some, too, take a look at these!


Books about the Ocean - in English



by Anita Ganeri


by Bethanie Hestermann





by Christina Wilsdon   



by DK

Books about the Ocean - in Spanish



by DK Publishing



by Michelle Glorieux



El Mundo Marino 
(Discovery Guides "Ocean Worlds")
by Francesca Baines



by Nicola Davies



by Jess French



by Franz Anthony & María Emilia Beyer



Bilingual Books that Feature the Ocean



by Marcus Pfister



by Alan Watts 




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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

5 Ways to Explore the Ocean with Young Children



One of the most fascinating habitats for children to explore is the ocean. Marine life is so incredibly different from anything they might encounter in their daily lives, that it captures their imagination almost instantly.

Here are five ways to explore marine biology with your little ones.

This post contains affiliate links.



Read About the Ocean


There are literally hundreds of amazing books that have been published on the ocean. I especially love picture books with visually stunning pictures and illustrations that take your child's imagination on a trip under the sea. But don't forget to include storybooks that take place on, near, or under the ocean. They help your child connect with sea life in a more personal way.

Check out my list of 15 Children's Books about the Ocean. The list includes excellent titles in both English and Spanish. 

Activities

Hands-on activities are so much fun and promote learning. Children who do activities (coloring, crafts, art) are much more likely to remember the concepts being taught. And the activity doesn't have to be messy or complicated. A simple coloring book like Sea Creatures Coloring Book For Kids is fun for toddlers and preschoolers and easy to take on the road. Older children may enjoy this more artistic and detailed coloring book, Detailed Coloring Books For Kids.

If you're looking for activities a little more challenging, here's a post with 24+ Ocean-Themed Activities for Kids that includes crafts and other activities for a variety of ages.

For more ideas, check out my Ocean Life Activities board on Pinterest...





Games

Seriously, nothing gets kids more excited than games. Even if the actual game itself isn't very educational, simply having an ocean theme can get kids excited about learning after the game is finished. 

Or you can use it as an incentive for more serious learning by saving it for a reward after a day of "hard" learning. ("Wow! We learned a lot today. Let's play a game to finish up!")




Watch SPLASH & BUBBLES

Have your little ones seen the PBS KIDS series Splash and Bubbles? It's from The Jim Henson Company. It's designed to encourage kids (ages 4 - 7) to explore the natural undersea world. Developed with top marine biologists, you can be reassured that the content is accurate, educational, and super fun! For example, in the first episode, your child will learn about bioluminescence and the ocean depths. (PSST! Four 11-minute stories are available NOW in the free PBS KIDS Video App and on pbskids.org.)


Field Trip!


There's nothing like first-hand experience, so if you happen to live not too far from the coast, pack up your kids for the weekend and head to the beach. If it's too far away, or a little out of your budget, look for an aquarium or zoo near you. Even museums of natural sciences often have an exhibit dedicated to the deep.





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5 Ways to Explore the Ocean with Young Children



Disclosure: This post is written in collaboration with PBS KIDS. All opinions are the writer's.
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Thursday, July 1, 2010

The Ocean: Bilingual Printables, Activities, Books & More



As part of our summer learning series, we're looking at different themes related to the season for our studies. Today's post is a bilingual unit study of the ocean!

This post contains affiliate links.

Summer Learning Series: The Sea


Since we will be headed to the beach this summer, we have started learning about the ocean in both English and Spanish. 

We began reading about the ocean with this fabulous little book from DK Publishing titled, Voyage: Ocean A full-speed-ahead tour of the oceans. Unfortunately, it is really hard to find now, but it was a gem that I discovered in one of my overstock book stores. We really love it because it includes a poster, fact cards, and some fun stickers.



My kids are young artists. So as part of their learning, I also asked them to create a poster of an underwater scene. 



I had them use the book, How to Draw 101 Animals, to help them with drawing their animals. I did not help them choose or draw the animals, so they had to rely on what they already knew about the ocean or what they have been learning in our book studies. (Which explains why there is un loro at the top of the poster! Ahem.)



And then we went through and labeled all the animals in Spanish. I have some more projects in Spanish to include using pictures that I have taken of their drawings. More on that later.

I've been exploring other awesome resources for learning about the ocean. And here are some of my favorites. 

Ocean-Themed Crafts & Activities


First, be sure to check out my 24+ Ocean-Themed Activities for Kids! There are SO many good ideas there and most can be done in ANY language. Here are a few others that I would add:



Ocean Printables


• I have a packet on Sharks of the World available in English and Spanish. This 20-page packet focuses on 12 species and includes activities to learn about the parts of a shark, the life cycles of different shark species, apex predators, keystone species, as well as interesting facts about each of the above species in the fact files for the fandex. They can then use the fandex to complete a few activities. And finally, students can review what they learned after putting together my Shark Fortune Teller.

• Homeschool and Happiness has a dolphin facts and activity printable that you may enjoy, also. 

• Hess Un-Academy has this comprehensive unit study on sea turtles.

If you are looking for something a little simpler, like a one-page printable, then consider one of the following: 

Bilingual Books about the Ocean


I have a comprehensive post of 15 Children's Books about the Ocean (in English and Spanish) that you may want to look through.

If not, here are some of the books in Spanish or English that you may enjoy:


Spanish books:


• El Mundo Marino (Discovery Guides ("Ocean Worlds")) by Francesca Baines

• Oceanos Y Mares/ Oceans and Seas (Spanish Edition) by Nicola Davies

• Habitats Acuaticos/ Water Habitats (Introduccion a Los Habitats / Introduction to Habitats) (Spanish Edition) by Molly Aloian and Bobbie Kalman

• Océanos: El planeta bajo el agua como nunca antes lo habías visto by DK Publishing


English books:


• Ultimate Oceanpedia: The Most Complete Ocean Reference Ever (National Geographic Kids) by Christina Wilsdon   


Biographies about Ocean Lovers






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