Teacher preparation - Ages 0 – 2

Preparation

For this activity you will need to:

Print out the the following flashcards and cut each flashcard in half and glue the corresponding questions to the back of each image:
If possible, find a plastic or stuffed version of a fish, shark and turtle for children to hold and play with.

Step 1.

Display the flashcards to children and engage them in discussion around some of the points on the backs of the flashcards. You could also:

Count the number of fish/turtles/sharks
Identify body parts (fish – fins, eyes, mouth, gills, scales; turtles – shell, legs, eyes, nose, mouth; shark – fins, gills, eyes, mouth, snout)
Use your plastic or stuffed animals to create stories and interactions with the flashcards, for example, “This fish is swimming through the sea when it meets a turtle (display turtle image). They say a quick hello while the fish cheekily nibbles the turtle's feet. The fish then notices a giant shark (display shark image) and knows that the shark might be hungry for fish and so the fish races off to find its friends and warn them (display image of school of fish)".

Step 2.

Allow children time to investigate the images closely and to play with the plastic or stuffed animals (if possible).

Take it further

Provocations

I wonder what fish/sharks/turtles eat?
I wonder what eats fish/sharks/turtles?
I wonder what other animals live in the sea?
I wonder if we like to swim in the sea?
I wonder which is our favourite fish?

Possible lines of development

Create a sea (bucket or tub of water) and allow children to add plastic animals to the sea.
Investigate the colours of a coral reef with the Colours of the Reef - Flashcards.

Teacher preparation: Ages 3 – 5

Preparation

For this activity you will need to:

Print out the following flashcards and cut each flashcard in half and glue the corresponding questions to the back of each image:
Provide one of the following for each child:

This activity is in three parts. You may choose to do as many parts as you wish; however children will gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between these marine animals if they participate in all three parts.

Part 1. Fish

Step 1.

Display the Fish Flash cards to children, using the prompts on the flashcards to engage children in discussion around the images.

Once complete, distribute one copy of the Fish Headpiece to each child (instructions available on the sheet).

When all children have finished and have attached their Fish Headpiece, you can invite them to participate in a role-play using the following story:

Story: Imagine you are a tiny baby fish, still inside its egg. The egg is sitting on a piece of coral. Finally, you start to wriggle and hatch out of your egg. You are tiny and want to find a safe place in the coral reef to have something to eat. Some fish like to eat plants, some like to eat worms, and others like to eat other fish! What type of fish are you? It’s hard work being so small and doing so much growing, so maybe it’s time for a sleep. But fish don’t close their eyes because they don’t have eyelids! Instead they just rest in one spot and just keep looking out. Now you’ve had something to eat and had a sleep, it’s time to do some exploring. Many fish like to travel in a group called a ‘school’ (remind children of the image of a school of fish). This makes them look like a big animal and might help to scare away other animals that like to eat fish, like sharks. Wait…is that a shark? (Act like a shark and chase children). Quick, the fish need to find somewhere to hide!

Step 2.

Work together to create a song about fish, for example (to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star):

Part 2. Turtles

Step 1.

Display the Turtle Flashcards to children, using the prompts on the flashcards to engage children in discussion around the images.

Once complete, distribute one copy of the Turtle Shell to each child (instructions available on the sheet).

When all children have finished and have attached their Turtle Shell, you can invite them to participate in a role-play using the following story:

Story: Imagine you are a baby turtle inside a turtle egg, tucked in your sandy nest with lots of other eggs. The night comes and the sand cools down; now it’s time to hatch out of your egg! You crawl out and using the moonlight to guide you, you shuffle to the sea. Even though it’s night and there aren’t too many birds around, you still keep an eye out for them, in case they try and grab you and eat you. Now you’ve made it to the water and you can start swimming. You swim through the waves and out to the deep water, looking for something to eat. Turtles like to eat seagrass, and you’re lucky because you found some! As you grow up you keep swimming and enjoying the ocean. After many years of swimming, the females head back to beach where they hatched from their egg to lay their own eggs, while the male turtles just keep on swimming. Just watch out for the sharks, they quite like to munch on turtles…!

Step 2.

Work together to create a rhyme or poem about turtles. For inspiration, watch this clip:

A turtle's life (https://vimeo.com/1056609745/7e4fc7c04f)

Part 3. Sharks

Step 1.

Display the Shark Flashcards to children, using the prompts on the flashcards to engage children in discussion around the images.

Once complete, distribute one copy of the Shark Fin to each child (instructions available on the sheet).

When all children have finished and have attached their Shark Fin, you can invite them to participate in a role-play using the following story:

Story: Imagine you are a baby shark. Some of you have come out of an egg while others have come out of your mother's stomach. You are swimming with your friends in the shark nursery where there are lots of other baby sharks, learning how to catch food and stay out of the way of animals that like to eat baby sharks, like bigger sharks and orcas. As you grow, you move away from the nursery and into the open ocean, or if you’re a reef shark you move to the deeper waters of the coral reef. There you spend your time just cruising the water and looking for food. Some of your favourite meals are seals, turtles and fish, and you do most of your hunting at night when it’s dark. You like to rest during the day, but even when you’re tired you have to keep moving because this keeps the water moving over your gills and this is how you breathe. If you fall asleep too deeply you will stop breathing!

Step 2.

Invite children to make up their own stories of what their shark is doing.

Take it further

Provocations

I wonder what fish/turtles/sharks like to eat?
I wonder how fish/turtles/sharks breathe?
I wonder how fish/turtles/sharks sleep?
I wonder what type of skin fish/turtles/sharks have?
I wonder why turtles have a shell?
I wonder who likes to eat fish/turtles/sharks?
I wonder what other animals the fish/turtle/shark would see while they are swimming around?
I wonder why fish like to swim with lots of other fish (in schools)?
I wonder how we can help to keep fish/turtles/sharks healthy?

Possible lines of development

Other animals that live in the sea (see this website)
Video of turtle swimming through Great Barrier Reef - see here.
Make a Sea Diorama or mural.

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning, listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenges and persisting when difficulty arises
Well being	Being involved

Embedding into daily practice

Clean up your centre yard and the area around your centre, including your street or local park. Keeping waste out of our environment is the best way to keep waste out of our oceans.
Encourage your centre to purchase sustainable seafood. Use the Sustainable Seafood Guide to help you.
Take action to change climate change by using less energy in your centre. Switch off lights and appliances when not in use, use cold water instead of hot where possible, dress for the weather and turn the heater down, and encourage your centre to install solar panels.
Provide children with the opportunity to connect with the environment using some of the other Blue Early Learning activities from Cool Australia, such as: Our Oceans, Our Coral Reefs, From the River to the Ocean.

Some other things you can do to help our oceans

Take action against climate change - Reduce the effects of climate change on the ocean by leaving the car at home when you can and being conscious of your energy use at home and work. A few things you can do to get started today include: Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, take the stairs, and dress for the weather instead of using a fan or heater.
Make sustainable seafood choices - When shopping or dining out, choose seafood from sustainable sources. Use the Sustainable Seafood Guide to help you. Also, check the label on your pet’s food.
Use less plastic - Carry a reusable water bottle, store food in non-disposable containers, bring your own reusable bag when shopping, and recycle whenever possible.
Help take care of the beach - Leave coral and wildlife on the beach or in the sea, and participate in local beach cleanups (e.g. Take 3).
Don't purchase items that exploit marine life - Certain products contribute to the harming of fragile coral reefs and marine populations. Avoid purchasing items such as coral jewellery, tortoiseshell hair accessories (made from Hawksbill turtles), and shark products.
Support the establishment of marine sanctuaries - Marine sanctuaries are places where minimal human involvement is allowed, giving the marine life that use those areas the chance to recover and gain strength.

Blue - Fish, Turtles and Sharks

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Activity guides and printables

Activity Details

Curriculum Mapping

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