Fun facts
1. Oceans (and the life that exists within them) produce 70% of the oxygen we breathe
2. Oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface and hold 97% of our planet’s water
3. Oceans host 94% of all life on earth
Whether you subscribe to our craft boxes, AQA units or participate in our lessons and resource packs, Little Crafters Boxes is here to help you get the most out of
each month's themes. We know the cost of living is increasing and so we’d like to help take the load off a little by sharing some inspiring activities to help get you
started. This June’s focus is our oceans and whilst we have provided some incredible, ready-to-go activities in our boxes, here are a few more we just couldn’t offer.
Have a look to see if any of the following get your children excited for a deep dive into our world’s oceans.
Areas of learning you could explore with this theme:-
● The origins of life
● Diversity of ecosystem and habitat within the ocean
● Threats to biodiversity
● Carbon store
● Microplastics
● The water cycle and the problem of upstream pollution - soaps, medication and
fertilisers
● The power of the individual - how can we enact change?
● Overfishing - the ocean as a source of food and protein
● Geopolitical borders and how these affect economic trade and security affairs
● Therapeutic qualities of the ocean
● Ocean and folklore - literacy studies
● The rising temperatures of the oceans - what does this mean for our future?
● How our relationship with, and interdependence on, the oceans has changed over
time - a historical perspective
● Global sea level change; the loss of small islands and communities
● Tectonics and the sea floor, submarine volcanoes and the creation of new land
● Creatures of the deep - the science we do not yet know
● El Nino and ocean currents - a means of temperature regulation
● Sustainable resource use - zero-waste economics
● Energy source production - offshore shale gas, oil and wind
● Water as a common good not a commodity
● Ocean cores and their use in paleoscience - discovering the past
● Acidification
Activities
● DIY version of your layers of the ocean using liquid density to create the physical
layers! Details available here
● Make a mini diorama - add seafloor, continental shelf, layers of the ocean.
● You could submerge this diorama, using seaweeds, shells, sand and even other
aquatic life if in a properly kitted out aquarium tank. Warning: long term project (seek
advice if using animals)!
● Observe ocean currents with this DIY visualisation using food colouring and ice at
● Visit a conservation based aquarium or your local garden centre aquarium. Note the
different habitats fish survive in. Note the differences in how they look (shape, colour
size) and how they behave. Why could this be?
● Complete a beach clean / inland river litter pick. Talk about the connectedness of our
water courses
● Ecological adaptations for arctic oceans - blubber experiment see Polar Bear Blubber - Science Fun
● Use rubbish to make an activist art piece i.e. fruit netting / plastic film etc. This could
also be sculptural. Think about your audience and be inspired by something you care
about.
● Saltwater density experiment s, what makes the sea different? - Ocean Science
● ‘Pour art’ paint techniques to showcase shoreline erosional wave action, creating
some wonderful art but also alluding to the ever-changing shoreline with every
intruding wave.
● Make your own ice cores showcasing how each layer can capture an environmental snapshot at one point in time, varying in pollen, oxygen etc. What can you infer from yours? Excellently explained by Teaching Climate Change with Ice Cores - Science Lessons That Rock
This is awesome, thanks Charlotte!
Thank you Charlotte for writing this blog, sharing useful links and compiling them together. It's convenient to come back and find all in one place❤️