As we have been doing the #ABC123Challenge by Karen of Two Tiny Hands I've increasingly been feeling like I am falling into home education accidentally. This week our letter was 'o' and I thought it would be fun to dive into some oceanology. It's hard to know who had more fun myself or my girls. Here's what we got up to if you fancy a bit of ocean study with your children too.
Our Books on Oceanology
There are so many books on the ocean and life within it that it's hard to narrow down what you should and shouldn't get. These books are the ones we have on our bookshelves but you could also take a look and see what's in your local library and/or charity shops. Carboots are also springing up in the area so take a look there too and supermarkets sell reasonably priced ones too.
Creating Glitter Fish
To Create Your Own Fish You Will Need:
- Paint
- Coloured Cardboard
- Glitter
- Googly eyes
- Craft Sticks
- Tape
- Scissors
Now for the Fun Part
'What do you call a fish with no eyes?' 'A fsh'
Regular readers to our blog will know by now that eldest has a love of paint. So we decided to go outside while the sun shone and paint her hand to create some fish. We applied plenty of paint to her hand and then she placed it down on the blue cardboard we had. We decided to create two blue fish and two green ones using her hand then leave these to dry in the sun.
Once dried we applied some glue to the prints and covered it with glitter. I made sure the whole hand print was covered before shaking off the remaining glitter into a storage box. Then we located some googly eyes and placed them on the fish so they could see.
Once happy with the appearance of your fish cut them out. Then secure a craft stick to the back with a piece of tape. Now they are ready to be played with.
Creating Jellyfish
Of course like our nature study we couldn't just stop at one make we had to do another. So we tried to create jellyfish and made these just like we made our kites earlier in the #ABC123Challenge. Instead of paper bags though we got a few paper plates and decorated them with hanging ribbons.
Our Oceanology Display
Once our creations had been made and the books gathered up I decided to turn our ball pit upside down and create my impression of what under the sea may look like. The girls loved it but I'm very pleased that I took a before the girls discovered it shot.
There are of course many more activities featuring the ocean and I've pulled a lot of them together in a Pinterest board for your perusal.
These look lots of fun to make and perfect for summer time too. I'll have to get making with my little one! x
ReplyDeleteEnjoy and let us know how you get on
DeleteOops sorry #familyfun x
ReplyDeleteMy favourite children's book about the ocean is titled sharing a shell, I have also just reviewed a book called Dash the dolphin by Kaley Owen#familyfun@_karendennis
ReplyDeleteJulia Donaldson certainly has got a wonderful way with words. Will have to look out for Dash
DeleteWhat a cute project! And so fun to make too!
ReplyDelete#globalblogging
Definitely fun
DeleteThis is a great idea and really simple. Pinched for our toddlers group :) Thank you for giving them so much to do
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased that they are being used by others. Do let me know how you get on
DeleteOh wow this is a great idea for kids to explore the ocean and it's sea creatures - love the crafts #dreamteam
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteWhat a lovely way to explore the ocean. I must say I love using books like this as a start to a themed learning afternoon. The glitter fish are lovely, we have done them with painted hands before but glitter is a lovely added touch. the Jellyfish are gorgeous, I might have to borrow this one myself for activity afternoons here.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids
Books have so many benefits for sure. Do let me know how you get on making jellyfish
DeleteI love the glitter fish! #GlobalBlogging
ReplyDeleteLove a good sparkle
DeleteI love the glitter fish, they look fun to make. It looks like you all had a lot of fun with this project.
ReplyDelete#TriumphantTales
We certainly did. Thanks for the comment
DeleteAlways such great craft posts! Thanks for sharing with #TriumphantTales.
ReplyDeleteAww thank you for that lovely compliment
DeleteYour challenge has really led me to look at unit studies and have fun undertaking them
ReplyDeleteYou definitely look like you had fun with your learning.
ReplyDeleteWe certainly did
DeleteGreat to hear you had as much fun as the girls, those jellyfish look fab. Mich x
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle
DeleteI am back with the #DreamTeam
ReplyDeleteThey look great! I really love that jellyfish - it looks fab! Sarah #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteThat's a great activity and a lovely theme #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteI love your ocean themed activities, particularly the handprint glitter fish and the use of the ball pit to recreate life under the sea. I remember doing a "under the sea" themed craft week with my girls a couple of years ago and we had fun making jellyfish and other sea creatures. Reading about the activities you did with your girls brought back some happy memories. #countrykids
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun. If you're after another book recommendation, Surfers Against Sewage have some nice children's books about plastic in the oceans. #countrykids
ReplyDelete