Download a Free Marine Biology/Ocean Unit Study Guide

For three years now we have gone to the beach for our summer vacation, but, because we live in a landlocked state, there’s not a whole lot of education about ocean animals and their habitats in our schools.

If you’re planning an ocean unit study, marine biology lesson, summer homeschool theme, or a beach-inspired classroom activity, this free marine biology and ocean unit study guide is a lovely way to help kids dive beneath the surface — without needing to live anywhere near the coast.

Ocean learning is one of those topics that naturally grabs children’s attention. From sharks and sea turtles to coral reefs, ocean zones, tide pools, shells, and mysterious deep-sea creatures, there is so much to explore. This free ocean unit study includes hands-on marine biology activities, printable ocean worksheets, loose parts play ideas, tracing pages, mazes, coloring activities, and simple ways to introduce kids to ocean animals and their habitats.

It’s a great resource for homeschool families, preschool and elementary teachers, nature study days, summer learning, or even a rainy-day science theme when everyone needs something educational but still fun. I especially love ocean-themed learning because it blends science, creativity, and play so nicely — and honestly, anything that sneaks in a bit of handwriting practice while children think they’re just coloring sea creatures is a win in my book.

You can use this free marine biology unit study as a full ocean lesson plan, a gentle introduction to ocean science, or as extra printable activities for kids who are fascinated by sea life. Add a few ocean books, a shell tray, blue play dough, or a simple sensory bin and you’ve got a wonderfully hands-on ocean learning experience that feels more like exploring than schoolwork.

Natural Beach Living has a great way to teach kids about the ocean at home, whether you homeschool or just want to help your ocean-loving kid learn more about it. This marine biology/ocean unit study is full of great ideas such as:

setting up a loose parts station with an ocean theme
printables about marine biology and ocean life
activities such as mazes, line tracing and coloring (the oceanic zones coloring page is beautiful)

It’s a great collection of resources I know my daughter will love.

Do you teach your kids about what’s in the ocean? I’d love it if you’d share any resources you’ve used.

Looking for more books on Marine Biology for kids? Check these out.

Lacing is a great fine motor activity, and most kids go through a phase where they enjoy working with lacing cards. It helps promote focus and is a great quiet activity for kids to do in the car or to fill time in the classroom. And of course knowing how to lace is the beginning of knowing how to sew, which is great for all kids to learn (more on teaching kids to sew here).

There are lots of ways to make your own lacing cards. This one is just a pin but it’s easy to make lacing cards with any shape a child is into using cardboard and a nail to poke the holes. This could be fun for letter and number recognition or spelling the child’s name. Or try this version from Hey Azka, which uses a hole punch to make bigger holes so you can lace with shoe laces.

You can also just do lacing cards with paper, but it’s a great idea to print them on card stock and/or laminate them to make them sturdier for little hands. Homeschool Share has a set of alphabet lacing cards, which are free with email signup. Deceptively Educational has a set of number lacing cards with numbers 0 to 10.

Picklebums has some basic shape lacing cards, too.

Living Life and Learning has a bunch of cute printable lacing cards, including back to school designs, shoes kids can lace and learn to tie and ocean themed lacing cards. She also has tips for making your own lacing cards.

A Rose Tinted World made their lacing cards with craft foam, which makes them a little more durable than paper and you can cut it more easily than cardboard. They used a die cutting machine but you can also cut shapes by hand.

I also love the cat and mouse cards from Seam Whisperer. They also have some spring themed designs. So cute!

If you want to make lacing cards that are more open ended, check out this tutorial form Pretty Life Girls to make lacing cards that are more like geo boards. Theirs are made with wood but you can also do this with cardboard, craft foam or card stock.

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