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Welcome back! I’m super excited to share with you more of our ocean themed tot school unit. If you missed the first part of this unit just click here.

Ocean Ice-Cavating

This activity takes a little foresight to prepare but is still super easy and my boys just LOVED it! I used small plastic storage containers and froze an assortment of seashells and ocean figurines within several layers of colored ice. If you’re short on time I think most kids would be just as happy with a single color block of ice, but the rainbow definitely adds a little something extra.

Once your ice block is frozen your work is done and it’s time to let the kiddos get to it. I provided a bowl of warm water and an assortment of sponge brushes, spray bottles and droppers for applying it to the ice. I also gave the boys several toy hammers, saws and screwdrivers. They aren’t very effective but it didn’t stop Nugget and Goose from trying.

This is definitely a messy activity so I recommend saving it for a hot day outside.

Jellyfish Discovery Bottle

This was one of those activities that I wasn’t too impressed by, but my boys have loved. We made our little jellyfish out of an old plastic grocery bag and a Voss water bottle. My biggest complaint is that he moves too quickly and tends to hide at the top of the bottle. I have experimented with adding corn syrup to the water (Spoiler Alert: DON’T Try That!) and it had a very slimy reaction with the plastic bag and quickly started growing something disgusting. Perhaps the bags from your grocery store are cleaner but I learned that mine are a petri dish of germs just waiting to grow. Ick!

To Make your own jellyfish bottle you will need:

• water bottle
• light colored plastic grocery bag
• Fine white thread or clear elastic
• Small syringe or dropper (I used one that was leftover from a bottle of infant Tylennol)
• Food Coloring (optional)

1. Begin by laying out your grocery bag and carefully cutting away the sides and bottom until you have a large square.
2. Gather the center of the plastic and stuff with some scraps before fastening with string or elastic. You want to trap a little air in here but also leave room to add a drop or two of water with the syringe.
3. Carefully cut the remaining bundle into strips for tentacles, leaving them attached to the body. If you leave too much it will turn into a tangled mess in the water, but you can always pull it out and perform surgery on your little guy if necessary.
4. Once you have your jellyfish complete, place him in your bottle and fill it to the brim with water. If you are adding food coloring now is the time to do so.
5. Screw on the lid and give your jellyfish a good shake. Hopefully he (or she!) will gracefully glide from one end of the bottle to the other.

How did your jellyfish turn out? Did he have the same swimming issues that ours did? Tell me all about it in the comments, and if you find a way to slow down his swim please share! 🙂

Size Sorting Printable

This printable turned out to be one of my favorites, because there are so many ways to modify it. The download includes a basic large vs. small version as well as a large vs. medium vs. small page. Once you have printed out the sorting background, print the page full of ocean creatures and cut them out. As always I laminated mine so it would withstand multiple uses. After finding tiny creature cut-outs all over the house I went back and added clear velcro dots to the back of each creature and the background page so that they stay with the activity.

This sorting page also works great for sorting seashells, or even stickers if you find a variety of sizes. What did your kids prefer to sort?

Some of Our Favorite Ocean Themed Toys

One of the best things about these learning units is the opportunity to scavenge your house to find materials. Sure, you can make some activities, but you’ll be surprised how much you already have to work with. Here are a few of our favorite toys and games.

Color Fun Fish Bowl – I’m not a fan of electronic toys. As a general rule I prefer a toy that uses imagination instead of batteries but this thing rocks! Nugget spends 20 – 30 minutes playing with it, and at 18 months old NOTHING holds his attention for that long. My favorite part is that it has 2 play modes. The first simply tells you the color of the fish that is inserted into the bowl (GREAT fine motor practice!). The second mode asks for a certain color and the child has to find it and insert it. Even though Goose has known his colors for quite a while he still has fun with this toy, so it definitely gets points for versatility!

Melissa & Doug Sea Life Wooden Chunky Puzzle (7 pcs) – what I like about this puzzle in particular is the chunky pieces that don’t have tabs or handles. This allows them to be used in imaginative play beyond the puzzle. There is also <this> magnetic version which is great for older kids as they use a fishing pole to lift the puzzle pieces.

Baby Einstein: Animal Discovery Cards – These cards are made of sturdy, heavy-weight paper and feature a glossy photo of an animal on one side and fun facts on the other. We have used ours over and over as a vocabulary building tool, in sorting games, and more. There are even questions and tips on each card to help encourage critical thinking!

Safari Ltd Ocean TOOB – I am crazy about Safari Limited Toobs. I don’t think I’ve ever done a tot school unit without including at least one toob. They bring a fantastic hands-on quality to vocabulary lessons and can be used as a manipulative or toy. For our unit I used the Ocean Toob, Coral Reef Toob, and the Dolphins and Whales Toob. The Deep Sea Creatures Toob wasn’t available near me but if I had known about it I probably would have gotten it too!  (I think I may have a problem …. is anyone interested in forming a Toob support group? :))

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