15 Engaging Activities for Kids To Learn About the Ocean Ecosystem

These activities for kids will help children learn about and develop and appreciate for the ocean ecosystem. Including activities about the zones, animals and ocean science. The ocean is a wonderful place to explore with kids! Not only is it fun and fascinating, but learning about the ocean helps children develop a care and concern for it as well. The ocean covers 70% of the Earth's surface and is the home to a large portion of Earth's living creatures. Additionally, the oceans are an integral part of the water cycle that brings rain to our fields and forests, as well as drinking water to our homes; and produces much of the oxygen the we need to live. In developing an understanding of the ocean ecosystem and it's different parts, children will also learn the importance of taking care of our oceans and marine life, and living in a way that reflects that.

Activities for Kids to Learn about the Ocean Ecosystems

The ocean ecosystem includes everything in the oceans, as well as the saltwater bays, seas and inlets, the shorelines and salt marshes. It is home to the smallest organisms like plankton and bacteria, as well as the world's largest living structure – the Great Barrier Reef, which can even be seen from the moon. The ocean ecosystem is divided into zones: the Sunlight Zone (euphoric) where the sunlight reaches and plant life grows, the Twilight Zone (disphotic) where some light reaches but not enough for plants to grow, and the Midnight Zone (aphotic) which gets no light and is cold and dark, then the abyss and the trench. These activities for kids will help children learn about and appreciate all that lives and occurs in the ocean ecosystem.

Activities for Kids about the Ocean Layers

1. This cute paper craft uses paint samples to make the layers of the ocean.
2. Make sensory bottles to represent each layer of the ocean with their respective animals.
3. This activity layers Jello and ocean animals to represent the zones.
4. Another ocean in a jar activity that layers liquids to represent the amount of light each ocean layer receives.
5. Practice a Montessori-inspired ocean layer sorting activity with kids!

Activities for Kids About Ocean Animals

1. Practice some ocean animal yoga poses!
2. Make an ocean animal sensory bin.
3. Learn how sharks float with a simple science experiment.
4. Check out fish bones and create an x-ray of a fish with this fun craft.
5. Explore different shells with this hands-on science activity.

Bonus: Meet the Sea Turtle and how we support the conservation and education efforts for them.

Activities for Kids About Ocean Science

1. Observe the difference in the density of salt water vs. fresh water.
2. This hands-on visual of how currents are formed is mesmerizing!
3. Check out how sound travels underwater with this fun experiment.
4. This activity demonstrates how pollution affects the ocean, a really important one for kids to see.
5. A simple blubber experiment helps kids understand how many ocean animals stay warm in the cold water!

These activities for kids about the ocean ecosystem help children really understand about the different layers of the ocean, about some of the animals that live in the ocean, and a bit about the science of what occurs in the ocean ecosystem. All of these activities will help children develop and appreciation and concern and care for the ocean and marine life.