Oceans and Water
By Michelle, Nick, Flora, and Pang
UNIT OBJECTIVES
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Students
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learn about the ocean.
learn about water.
learn that all living things need water.
learn what lives in the water and oceans.
learn what absorbs water.
learn what floats on water.
learn what sinks in the water.
learn how to be safe in the water.
learn to have fun in the water.
SIGNIFICANT CONTENT
1. Examples of oceans.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
Examples
Examples
Examples
Examples
Examples
of water.
of things that live in the ocean and water.
of things that sink and float in the water.
of how to be safe in the water.
of how to have fun in the water.
SCIENTFIC THINKING AND SENSORY AWARENESS
GROUP ACTIVITIES
1. Painting Sidewalks— On a sunny day, allow children to paint the
sidewalks with water. To do this, provide various paintbrushes and
buckets of water. You may also have the children paint the walls and
playground equipment. The teacher may call attention to the water
evaporation that takes place. The teacher may want to implement
some painting books into the lesson.
2. Making Rainbows— If you have a hose available the children can spray
the hose into the sun. The rays of the sun contain all the colors mixed
together. The water acts as a prism and separates the water into
colors creating a rainbow. There are many books on rainbows. The
children may find it fun to learn about them.
3. Water and Vinegar Fun— Collect the following materials: two small
jars with lids, water, and white vinegar. Pour water into one jar and an
equal amount of vinegar into the other jar. Replace caps. Then let the
children explore the jars of liquids and discuss the similarities. Then
let the children smell each jar. Books on science would be great for
this activity. The children will love looking through those.
INDIVIDUAL OR CENTER ACTIVITIES
1. Real Fish— Bring in a fish bowl or an aquarium with real fish in it. Let
the children take turns on who gets to take care of feeding and
cleaning the bowl for a week. Provide books on fish for the children.
2. Musical Scale— Make unique musical tone jars by pouring various
levels of water into glass soda bottles. Color each bottle of water
differently. Provide the children with spoons, encouraging them to
experiment with sounds by tapping each bottle.
3. Bubble Magic— Fill a bucket or dish pan half full of warm water. Add a lot
of Dawn detergent. Using plastic six-pack rings, several straws taped
together, cardboard tubes, clothes hangers bent into fun shapes, etc. PLAY
AWAY!
SAND AND WATER
1. Colored Ice— Fill the sensory table with colored ice cubes for the
children to explore. Have them talk about what they experienced.
2. Sink and Float— Fill the sensory table with water. Provide the children
with a variety of items that will sink and float. Let them experiment.
A chart may be prepared listing items that sink and float.
3. Moving Water— Provide the children with a variety of materials that
move water. Include the following: sponges, basters, eye droppers,
squeeze bottles, funnels, measuring cups, pitchers, empty film
canisters, and plastic tubing.
SOCIAL STUDIES AND INTERPERSONAL ACTIVITIES
GROUP ACTIVITIES
1. Find photographs (in nonfiction books) that show different styles of
water. What do they look like? What is different about them? What
can you do with them? Does anything live in them?
2. Locate the major bodies of water on a map, globe or atlas and discuss.
Also write the names down on a chart.
3. What kinds of things can we eat from a lake or ocean? Ask the
children if they have ever eaten anything that came from the water.
INDIVIDUAL OR CENTER ACTIVITIES
1. Provide different pictures of bodies of water and let the children look
at them and discuss them with other classmates.
2. Set out various types of clothing that is worn in the water.
(Swimsuits, wetsuits, goggles, scuba snorkels, fins, beach cover-ups,
towels…)
3. Pretend that you are fishing on a boat. What would you fish for? Make
a list.
SERVICE PROJECT
Have the children compose a letter to a local zoologist and send it, inviting
that person to come to the school or center and talk about how to save
endangered animals that live in water.
FIELD TRIPS
1. Take the children to Underwater World at the Mall of America. Let
them walk around and see all the different fish that live in the water.
Also take them to the touch and feel room where they can actually
touch some things that live in the sea like starfish.
2. Take a trip to the Minnesota Zoo, particularly to the Discovery Bay
and to see the dolphin feedings and show. Also to the large fish
aquariums and talk to the zoo helpers about things that live in the
water.
3. Go to the Woodlake Nature Center and explore what lives around the
water as well as examining what is in the water as well. Examine algae
and the other particles that are in the water.
RESOURCE PERSON
1. Set up a time for the zoologist that the children wrote to, to come to
the center and talk about what lives in the water. You can have them
show pictures and slides of different kinds of fish and creatures that
live in the water and ocean.
MATHEMATICAL THINKING
GROUP ACTIVITIES
1. Cracker count— Place 10 fish crackers on a plate. Have the students
remove and eat a certain number of fish and then count how many are
left over together as a group. Make a list of math facts.
2. Measuring— Fill jars with water, then have the children take
measuring cups to find out how much water is in each jar. Have them
make a chart.
3. Conservation-- Teach the children that the amounts stay the same
even when they change shape. Take two different size jars and fill
them both with equal amounts of water. Ask the children which jar
has the most water?
INDIVIDUAL OR CENTER ACTIVITIES
1. Sort the Fish— Purchase a variety of small plastic fish or construct
them out of tagboard. Put them in a large pail. The children can sort
the fish by size, color, and type.
2. Fish Match— Find all different types of fish. Make sure you have two
of each fish. Have the children play the memory game to find all of
the fish.
3. Sea Shell Game— You will need an apple crate and sea shells in
matched sets of five according to size and color. The children will sort
the sea shells into the apple crate. Let the children read books about
sea shells.
COOKING AND SNACKS
SNACK IDEAS
1. Cheesy Fish Crackers— Variety of flavors. Add blue or blue/green
milk for the ocean effect.
2. Star shaped cookies— with sprinkled colored sugar on them to make
starfish.
3. Fish Sandwiches-- Cut out cheese or peanut butter sandwiches into
fish or star shapes with cookie cutters.
4. Tuna fish on crackers with milk.
5. Fish Bubbles—Put Cheerios in a cup. The children can either eat them
dry, or add milk.
6. Tropical Fruit Salad-- Take banana chunks, orange wedges, kiwi slices,
mangos etc… Children can cut up the bananas and kiwi with plastic
knives.
COOKING ACTIVITIES
1. Fruit Ice—Mix ½ can partially thawed juice concentrate with 2 cups of
crushed ice in the blender. Liquify until the contents become snowy.
Serve immediately. Write the recipe out for the children.
2. Sink and Float Snack— Materials needed: bowls, pitcher, water,
raisins and apples. Fill the pitcher with water. Slice the apples into
thin wedges. Every child should get a bowl. Pass the pitcher of water
around and have the children fill their bowl up with water. Pass out
three slices of apple and a handful of raisins. Ask: What is happening
to the apples and raisins? (The raisins sink and the apples float.)
After the lesson is done, the children can eat their snack.
3. Octopus-- Take big marshmallows, licorice strings, M&M candies, and 1
jar of frosting. Let the children cut or bite the licorice strings to the
octopus arm length and stick into the marshmallow body. Place a small
amount of frosting on a paper plate or napkin and let the children glue
the M&M eyes on with the frosting.
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY
GROUP ACTIVITIES
1. Discuss the various recreational uses of water. Included may be
swimming, boating, ice fishing, ice skating, fishing, and canoeing.
Encourage the children to name their favorite water activities.
Prepare a chart using each child’s name and favorite water activity
along with a small picture of that activity. Display in the room.
2. Collect items associated with fish and place them on a tray. At group
time, show the tray containing the items and name them. To play a
game, cover the tray with a towel. Then ask the children to recall the
names of the items on the tray.
3. Go on an underwater treasure hunt. Use rebus cues for the clues to
guide the children along. Search for the treasure box that has treats
for the children.
INDIVIDUAL OR CENTER ACTIVITIES
1. Have a flannel board and pieces which create an ocean scene and let
the child create his/her own ocean creations.
2. Have matching cards with pictures of sea creatures and their names.
3. In the puppet center, let the children make up their own skit, story,
or song with the sea creature puppets and stuffed animals.
STORYTIME BOOKS
1. "Little Fish Big Fish" by Frank Asch
2. "All Wet" by Marc Brown
3. "All About Water" by Melvin Berger (M)
4. "Big Al" by Andrew Clements (M)
5. "Fish is Fish" by Leo Lionni
6. "Swimmy" by Leo Lionni
7. "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister
8. "Baby Beluga" by Raffi (M)
9. Down by the Bay" by Raffi
10. "Dive into the Coral Reefs" by Elizabeth Tayntor
BIG BOOK FOR SHARED READING
1. "Blue Sea" by Robert Kalan
MESSAGE BOARD
1. "Today we learned about…" (Have pictures and words like water,
oceans, fish, whales, dolphins, starfish, seahorses, crabs, sharks…)
2. "Today we went to/in…" (Have pictures and words like "the water",
"the ocean", "the beach", "the zoo", "the drinking fountain", "the
pool".)
WRITING CENTER
1. Have the children draw a picture of themselves doing something with
water and then have them write about their picture.
NURSERY RHYME
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down
And broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
ARTISTIC EXPRESSION— MUSIC, SINGING, AND DRAMA
SONGS
1. Row, row, row your boat (see attached)
2. A Sailor went to sea, sea, sea (see attached)
3. The snail (see attached)
DIAGRAM FOR A PLAY CENTER
Ocean Corner
(See attached)
DRAMA ACTIVITIES
1. Doll Bath-- Fill the dramatic play sink or a tub with water. Children
can wash dishes or give doll baths.
2. Canoeing-- Bring a canoe into the classroom or onto the play ground.
Provide paddles and life vests for the children to wear. Instead of
going on a bear hunt, you could be going on a canoe trip.
ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
MEDIA CENTER EXPERIENCES
1. Shell Art-- Use different shells even broken ones to glue onto
tagboard or colored construction paper with backing. Color the shells
with markers or brush with tempera paint. Press onto paper to make
fossil designs.
2. Sand Painting-- Have several shakers filled with colored sand. Have
precut fish or star shapes for star fish for children to spread glue
and sprinkle their sand on.
3. Straw Painting-- Have paper, straws, thin tempera paint, and spoons all
out on the table. Spoon a small amount of paint onto the paper. Using a
straw, blow paint on the paper and make your design.
4. Fish shirt-- Take different types of plastic fish, a white T-shirt, and
permanent paint. Imprint the fish on you T-shirt. You may also use
shells. After the imprinting is done, let the shirts dry overnight.
WHOLE GROUP ART EXPERIENCE
1. Read "The Rainbow Fish" by, Marcus Pfister. Then give each child a
paper plate with a triangular mouth shape drawn on one side. Have the
children cut out the triangles, or help them as needed. (These
openings will be the mouths of the fish.) Then have them glue the
triangular pieces on the opposite sides of their plates to make tails.
Let the children complete their fish by coloring them as desired and
drawing eyes.
VARYING THE PAINT EASEL
1.
2.
3.
4.
Use sponges instead of paintbrushes.
Use only blue and green paint for painting water or the ocean
Add glitter to the easel to give their pictures a shiny sea look.
Have pieces of coral and shells to paint with.
ARTIST OR ILLUSTRATOR OF THE MONTH
"The Rainbow Fish" by, Marcus Pfister
MOVEMENT AND PHYSICAL FITNESS
WHOLE GROUP WARM-UPS
1. Swimming Whales-- Play a tape of whale songs for the children. After
they have listened for a few minutes, allow them to move gracefully to
the rhythms and sounds. Talk about it after the activity is done.
2. Moving to Ocean Sounds-- Play a tape of a variety of ocean sounds. If
possible, include such sounds as dolphins, sea gulls, waves crashing on
the beach, etc… Have the children listen to the sounds, then move
their bodies to express how they feel when they hear the sounds. Talk
about it after the activity is done.
3. Sea Gull Flying-- Encourage the children to pretend they are flying
like sea gulls. As they fly, direct them to pretend to do the following:
look over the ocean, fly up higher, swoop down and catch a fish, etc…
Talk about it after the activity is done.
WHOLE GROUP VIGOROUS ACTIVITIES
1. Catch Me-- Children form a circle with one child in the middle. While
walking in a circle they chant: (place name in blank space)
_______ over the water.
_______ over the sea.
_______ caught a tunafish.
But he can’t catch me!
On "me" all the children stoop or sit down quickly. If the child in the
middle touches another child before they sit down, that child gets to
go in the middle.
2. Take out blue tumbling mats and pretend the children are in the ocean
and that they are all fish. How will we move and what will we swim to
and from?
3. Play Fish, Fish, Shark, the same way as Duck, Duck, Grey Duck. The
middle will be known as the tidal pool instead.
COOL DOWNS
1. Have the children pretend that they are an animal that lives in the
water. Then try to have them act out what that animal would move
like.
2. Sing a song about fish. For example…
THE FISH GO SWIMMING
(To the tune of "The Ants Go Marching")
The fish go swimming one by one,
Hoorah Hoorah.
The fish go swimming one by one,
Hoorah Hoorah.
The fish go swimming one by one,
The little one stopped to have some fun.
And they all went swimming,
Deeper into the water, to escape from the otter.
Swim, swim, swim, swim, swim, swim
(Substitute each phrase below for "have some fun"
in the line about the little one.)
Two by two: say, "How are you?"
Three by three: sing with glee.
Four by four: hide on the floor.
Five by five: say "Be glad your alive."
Six by six: do some tricks.
Seven by seven: look up to heaven.
Eight by eight: say "Swimming’s great!"
Nine by nine: Straighten the line.
Ten by ten: say, "The End."
STATION ACTIVITIES
1. Place large pieces of blue paper on the floor and have the children
jump from ocean to ocean and invent the game as they go along.
2. Toss fish food (bean bags) into the mouth of a whale made out of
construction paper glued to wood.
3. Let the children paint all sizes of cardboard boxes and make them
into different boats and let them paddle all around the large motor
area.
OUTSIDE PLAY
1. Follow the Leader Fish-- Gather the children on the playground and
explain that they will be playing a version of the game "Follow the
Leader." Tell them that you will be selecting a child to be the "leader
fish" and the others are to pretend to be a school of fish. Explain
that schools of fish move in the same direction together when
swimming. Take turns choosing students to act as the "leader fish,"
and have them lead the other swimming fish around the playground.
2. Hidden Seashells-- Fill a bucket with a variety of medium to large
seashells. Without the children seeing, hide the shells in a sandbox.
Allow them to hunt for the shells and collect them in the bucket.
When all of the shells have been found, allow a volunteer to hide them
again for the rest of the group.
3. Crab Walk Relay Race-- Establish a relay course by marking a starting
line and a turn-around point. Divide the children into equal-sized
teams of three or four. Tell the children that they will be having a
relay race. Explain that during the race they will be crawling like
crabs. Demonstrate a crab walk for the children. Beginning at the
starting line, each child will crawl to the turn-around point and then
return to the starting line. Each child will then tag the next person,
who will follow the same procedure. The winning team is the first to
have all of its members finish.
TRANSITION IDEAS
FINGER PLAYS
1. FIVE LITTLE FISHES
Five little fishes swimming in a school.
(Hold up five fingers, then swim with hands.)
The first one said, "This water’s cool."
(Hold up one finger, then shiver.)
The second one said, "There’s a shark over there!"
(Hold up two fingers, then point excitedly.)
The third one said, "We’d better beware."
(Hold up three fingers, then look scared.)
The forth one said, "Where can we hide?"
(Hold up four fingers, then hold out hands questioningly.)
The fifth one said, "There’s a cave! Go inside."
(Hold up five fingers, then point.)
Then in went the fish, and the shark went away.
And the five little fishes swam out to play
2. EIGHT LITTLE TENTACLES
(To the tune of ten little fingers)
One little, two little, three little tentacles.
(Hold up the appropriate number of fingers as you count.)
Four little, five little, six little tentacles,
Seven little, eight, yes, eight little tentacles,
On an octopus.
3. SWIMMING
I can dive.
(make diving motion with hands)
I can swim.
(Swimming motion)
I can float.
(Hands outstretched with head back)
I can fetch.
But dog paddle
(Paddle like a dog)
Is the stroke I like best.
DATA COLLECTING
1. If you have gone swimming before…
2. If you have a fish as a pet…
3. If you have been to the ocean…
ACTION RHYMES OR BODY PLAYS
1. THE RAIN
I sit before the window now,
(sit down)
And look out at the rain.
(shade eyes and look around)
It means no play outside today,
(shake head)
So inside I remain.
(rest chin on fist; look sad)
I watch the water dribble down,
(look up and down)
As it turns the brown grass green.
And after a while I start to smile,
At nature’s washing machine.
(Smile and lean back)
2. THREE LITTLE CRABS
I know something, I won’t tell.
(put pointer finger up to lips and shake head ‘no’)
Three little crabs in a shell.
(Hold up three fingers)
One can read,
(Pretend to be reading a book)
and one can write,
(pretend to be writing)
and one can stay up all night.
(put up on finger and yawn and cover mouth with the other hand)
3. GOLDFISH PETS
One little goldfish lives in a bowl.
(hold up one finger)
Two little goldfish eat their food whole.
(Hold up two fingers)
Three little goldfish swim all around.
(hold up three fingers)
Although they move, they don’t make a sound.
Four little goldfish have swishy tails.
(hold up four fingers)
Five little goldfish have pretty scales.
(hold up five fingers)
CHORAL READING
"Bottles of Water" By, Rodney Bennett:
Water in bottles, water in pans, water in kettles, water in cans- It’s always
the shape of whatever it’s in, bucket, or kettle, bottle, or tin.
MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS
CHANGE TO THE ROOM
1. Put posters up in the room that has children of all colors and races
playing in the water. (The teacher can make these posters if none can
be found in stores).
GROUP ACTIVITY
1. Have the children create a poster or a mural that has children and
people of all color and race at the beach having fun in the water. Hang
it up in the classroom!
INDIVIDUAL OR CENTER ADDITION
1. Create a swimming pool and purchase different ethnic dolls and have
the children pretend that they are going swimming with their friends.
Dear Parents,
This month our class will be learning about water and oceans, lakes and the
sea. We will also be studying the kinds of animals that live in each of these
bodies of water. The children will become familiar with the forms, uses, and
bodies of water.
Some of the learning experiences that we will be exploring at school will be
observing the changes that water makes as it freezes up, we will be sinking
and floating with different objects at our sand and water table, and we will
be experimenting by pouring liquids into different sized containers to see if
they hold the same amount of water.
There are many things that you as parents could do at home with your
children. Take your child fishing if the weather permits and talk about the
different kinds of fish that you might see. Provide your child with water and
paintbrushes so they can create their very own water pictures. Provide your
child with anything you can think of that has to do with water. They will love
it!
For your information, we will be taking some field trips to Underwater World
at the Mall of America, going to the Minnesota Zoo, and exploring the wild
life at Wood lake nature center. If you would like to come along as a
volunteer please let me know as soon as possible.
I expect that this will be a wonderful learning opportunity for your child.
Thank you,
Michelle Rudoy
RESOURCES
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Bittinger, Gayle. Exploring Water and the Ocean. Warren Publishing
House Inc. 1993
Cecka, Maria. Underwater Animals
Cleveland, Alexandra. Activities Unlimited. Building Blocks Publishing
Inc. 1994
Herr, Judy and Yvonne, Libby. Creative Resources for the Early
Childhood Classroom, 2nd Edition. Delmar Publishing, Inc. 1995
Jenkins, Patty Davidson. Art for the Fun of it. Prentice Hall Inc. 1980
Moomaw, Sally. More Than Singing. Redleaf Press. 1997
Selke, Pam. The Seashore
Schultz, Danielle. Terrific Topics, Ocean. Carson-Dellosa Publishing
Company, Inc. 1996
Williams, Robert A. and others. Mudpies to Magnets. Gryphon House
Publishing. 1987
Vang, Gao. Bodies of Water
Wirth, Marian. Musical Games. Fingerplays and Rhythnic Activities for
Early Childhood. Parker Publishing Company, Inc. 1983