Ocean Unit Studies and Activities

It seems like summer is the perfect time to learn about the ocean, and you can even use some ocean-themed printables in the car or plane if you’re traveling to the ocean (I did that once with the printables from the ocean unit study by Natural Beach Living).

Get layers of the ocean printables from Homeschool Giveaways, or do some hands on learning about the layers of the ocean with this activity from Little Bins for Little Hands. That post also includes an overview of the zones and a way to access printables on ocean themed STEM activities.

All of Our Homes has great ideas for an oceans of the world unit study that looks at where the oceans are located, different animals that live there, and activities with links to free resources you can use in your classroom.

Throw in a few books about the ocean and you’ll be all set. We had the National Geographic Kids First Big Book of the Ocean when my daughter was little, then graduated to the Smithsonian’s Ocean! knowledge encyclopedia.

Games are a great way to learn, and these ocean memory cards from The Purposeful Nest can be used as flash cards, pick an animal to learn about or play a memory game with. Or ply ocean bingo with these printable cards from Confessions of Parenting. Simple Everyday Mom has another ocean matching game, which has super cute cartoony characters, perfect for preschoolers.

I try not to include a ton of paid resources in these kinds of roundups, but Inspire the Mom has a gorgeous unit study on ocean animals (among others) that I couldn’t resist sharing. It includes nature study, math, language arts, handwriting and more, and is perfect for homeshooling for kiddos from preschool up through second grade.

Inspire My Play has a great collection of ocean-themed play and craft ideas for little ones, including this super cute ocean cleanup activity pictured above.

Need more ideas? Check out this post on an ocean-themed bump game, more ocean learning activities and some clear ocean slime, perfect for playing with shells and little ocean animals!

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Activities for Learning about the Ocean

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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