June 8 is National Ocean Exploration Day, making June a great month to study the ocean. Whether you are a homeschooling family or not, creating an ocean unit study is a fantastic way for kids to learn more about the ocean and all its wonders.
Did you know the oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface? They contain 99 percent of the living space on earth! Without this space for organisms to survive, there would be five fewer phyla of animals on earth.
Visiting the ocean
As a little girl, I wanted nothing more than to be a marine biologist. I was always intrigued with the ocean; this curiosity and love for the ocean and the creatures that live in it have now been passed on to my sons. We try to make a yearly trip to the ocean each spring, when we swim, play, dig, search and learn about the living things we find (and even some we don’t find).
If you have the opportunity to visit the ocean this summer, take advantage of the many learning opportunities and turn your visit into a wondrous, educational adventure. Even if you do not live near the ocean, you can visit a local aquarium or help your children learn about the ocean with an ocean unit study.
What’s a unit study?
A unit study is a fun, educational approach in which learning is focused on a single topic or theme. Within the unit study, you incorporate writing, reading, science, geography and math around a single topic such as oceans. Unit studies also allow children in different grade levels to work together on a subject.
You will want your ocean unit study to touch on history and exploration of the ocean, geography, science, math and marine biology. Your children can learn to name the oceans and continents, learn bodies of water, know aquatic terms such as bay, peninsula, sea, marsh, pond, river. Study all living sea creatures and learn about ocean exploration.
Resources to build an ocean unit study
- Project Oceanography
- All about oceans and seas
- Oceans Pinterest board
- Free ocean lapbooks and unit study resources
- Homeschooling on a Shoestring – free ocean resources
- Free Unit Study already planned out
- Live web cams from Monterrey Bay Aquarium
- Fun activities from Monterrey Bay Aquarium
- Project Oceanography
- Ocean-themed math
- A virtual tour of the Great Barrier Reef on National Geographic
You and your children will enjoy studying the vast oceans of the world. The learning process begins with the creation of your study and will continue to help you experience the ocean and provide you with a lasting awareness of the delicate balance between all the elements of creation.
Image credit: Tiany Davis
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