Creative Themes: Beach - Learning and play

Subjects:

Math:

- counting - octopus and starfish/sunfish legs
- beach sudoku (draw a grid and numbers in the sand and solve the puzzle)

Language:

- paint letters on rocks to spell words

- write a message in a bottle
- glue shells to driftwood to spell your name
- BEACH acrostic poem

Science:

- beach ecosystem

- beach plantlife

- different types of beaches - sandy, rocky, gravely

- tidal pools

- animals that come to shore
- make a labelled beach display of things you find on the beach
- look at sand, plants, shells, etc. through a microscope
- what floats? (guess which items from the beach will float or sink in water)
- what does 'beachlife' eat?
- crabs - compare sizes, different species, parts of a crab
- shells - different types, parts of a shell
- plants - kelp, seaweed, grasses, bushes, flowers

Geography:

- which countries have an ocean beach?
- which provinces (Canada) have an ocean beach?

- different types of beaches around the world
- locate local beaches on the map
- how far away are the beaches? closest, furthest?
- Name the oceans

beach art

Active Play:

- the crab race
- beach sandbox - pails, shovels, plastic beach animals, shells, driftwood, rocks, flags, pattern maker (for making patterns in the sand)
- make a raft or boat to sail

Imaginative Play:

- beach fairy houses
- blue silks

Practical Life Skills:

Crafts:

- beach art (above photo)
- sew a terry cloth starfish bean bag
- large clam shell candles
- shells with googly eyes
- shell wreaths
- shell angels
- photo cards: photos of words written in the sand, beach art, etc.
- sew a beach bag
- painted rocks, driftwood creatures
- tye dyed beach towels
- sand art
- rubbing of shells

- beach glass jewelry

- rope knots or wound around driftwood or vases, sand in glass containers with shells and candls
- glass filled with beachglass and battery tealight in center

Activity/colouring sheets:
Jan Brett - Hedgie takes the kids to the beach, sea shells,
sea turtles ,printable bookmarks for Comet's Nine Lives

Games and toys: puzzles, go fish card game, beach tic tac toe (drawn in the sand), checkers (draw the board in the sand and use shells or stones as checkers), beach themed animal stuffies, bath toys

Pinterest Galleries:

http://pinterest.com/madebyjoey/home-studies-beach/

Links to blog posts:
http://madebyjoey.blogspot.ca/2012/05/marvelous-mysterious-beachcombing.html

http://madebyjoey.blogspot.ca/2012/03/beaches-and-kites.html

http://madebyjoey.blogspot.ca/2011/06/sea-creativity.html

http://madebyjoey.blogspot.ca/2011/07/summer-fun.html

http://madebyjoey.blogspot.ca/2011/07/corners-of-our-home.html

Reference & printable materials:

Playful Learning -

http://playfullearning.net/ocean-treasures-a-counting-book/

http://playfullearning.net/everybody-needs-a-rock-classifying-sorting/

http://playfullearning.net/searching-for-hermit-crabs/

Activity Village -
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/beach_games_and_activities.htm

Internet sites - Kid friendly: