ocean schools Archives - Ocean Life Education

Australia’s SeaWeek 2023 will be celebrated throughout the country from 4-12 March 2023 and from 2-10 March 2024. The initiative aims to spotlight community awareness, inform, and foster an appreciation for the sea. The theme for this year centers around Ocean Literacy Principle 2: The ocean and life within it significantly influence the Earth’s features.

This is a fascinating topic and a great basis for exploring all things relating to the ocean in schools and childcare settings. So, here is some background information plus 20 teaching activities for SeaWeek 2024 that will engage and inspire kids to want to learn more about and protect the ocean.

Why is the Ocean a Defining Feature of Our Planet?

The ocean is the defining physical feature on our planet Earth as it covers most of the earth’s surface – around 70% in fact.

It is also home to the majority of life on earth and responsible for around 70% of the oxygen we breath, as well as absorbtion of carbon dioxide, climate regulation, jobs, food, waste removal, , marine transport, medicine, travel, recreation and fun. We could go on…

Do we say Ocean or Oceans?

Many people ask the question, “Do we say ocean or oceans”? The answer is that there is just one ocean, which contains many ocean basins, such as the North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic. So, we should say ‘the ocean’ rather than ‘the oceans’.

What is SeaWeek Australia?

SeaWeek Australia started in 1987 at the Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff, Victoria. It began as an art competition that was promoted in all states of Australia and was accompanied by an educational kit consisting of marine activities and information brochures. Today SeaWeek Australia is a major public awareness campaign focusing on encouraging an understanding of and appreciation for the ocean and all things related to it. The campaign is promoted by the Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) – see link below.

20 Teaching Activities for SeaWeek 2024

Schools and educators can use SeaWeek Australia as a focal point for studies accross a wide range of curriculum themes. Or they can simply use the event to inspire children through fun based ocean themed activities. Here are 20 teaching activities for SeaWeek 2023 to get you started…

Early Learning Teaching Activities for SeaWeek Australia

Decorate your classroom or childcare setting
Read an ocean book like The Singing Mermaid or The Snail & the Whale by Julia Donaldson
Host an ocean themed coloring or drawing competition or SeaWeek Poster Competition
Colouring-in Competition
Create an ocean in an egg carton
Create an ocean sensory bin with ice
Make your own socktopus
Paint a puffer fish
Make egg carton ocean animals
Organise an ocean themed incursion – why not book one of our interactive Programs to give the kids a real hands-on experience of marine creatures with our lively team of animals!

Link to EARLY LEARNING RESOURCES

Primary School Teaching Activities for SeaWeek 2023

Launch a Plastic- free class challenge – no plastic in lunch boxes for a day, then maybe extend to a week
Create a plastic diary
Plastic ocean cycle activity – using our free infographic
Organise a field trip to the beach to explore
Organize a beach clean (& BBQ?) with prizes
Habitat and adaptation activity
Classification activity
Organise an ocean themed incursion – why not book one of our interactive PROGRAMS to give the kids a real hands-on experience of marine creatures with our lively team of marine animals!
Teach students curriculum topics using our Humpbacks online teaching resources.
Fundraise for a local ocean focused charity – on the Sunshine Coast that could be: Coolum & North Shore Coast Care, Ocean Crusaders or Sea Shepherd.

Link to PRIMARY RESOURCES

Is Most of the Ocean Unexplored?

Experts believe that more than 80 percent of the ocean floor is unexplored and has never been mapped. It’s crazy to think that a far larger percentage of the moon and the planet Mars has been mapped than the ocean on the planet where we live!

However, it’s probably not surprising when you consider that the ocean covers more than 70% of the surface of the earth. So, we are talking a huge area, with enormous variations in depth, much of which is very difficult to reach.

How Deep is the Ocean?

The depth of the ocean floor varies hugely, from the shallow blue waters of much of our coastline, to the darkness of the deep, deep ocean. So, to answer the question, “How deep is the ocean”, it’s tricky to give one answer. However, it’s generally agreed that the average depth of the ocean is 3.7 km.

What’s the Deepest Part of the Ocean?

Nowadays, we talk about the earth’s ‘one’ ocean as each named ocean (such as the Pacific Ocean) within it is connected to at least two other oceans, creating one whole ocean.

The deepest part of the ocean is in the Pacific Ocean. It is called Challenger Deep, after the HMS Challenger, whose crew first sounded (measured) the depths of the trench in 1875.

Challenger Deep lies at the southern end of the Mariana Trench and is around 10,984 metres deep. Compare that to Everest, which is 8,848 metres high, and it gives you an idea of the kind of depth we’re talking – about 11km. That’s deep!!!!

How do we Measure the Depth of the Ocean?

Measuring the depth of a body of water is called ‘sounding‘ or ‘sounding depth’. In order to measure the depth of the ocean, ships and boats use a sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) device, which sends sound waves to the bottom of the ocean and measures how long it takes for an echo to return.

We hope we have given you some ideas to get you thinking about celebrating SeaWeek 2022. Please see our blog and links below for more info.

Celebrating SeaWeek 2022

Read our BLOG ‘Celebrate SeaWeek Australia’, for ideas to celebrate SeaWeek 2022 and inspire kids to want to learn more about the ocean and to want to protect it

Free SeaWeek 2022 Poster

Other Ocean Events 2022

SeaWeek 2022 is hosted by the AAEE (Australian Association for Environmental Education). If you are planning to run a SeaWeek event, competition, or activity, they’d love to promote it! Email: seaweek@aaee.org.au for more information.

Tag Archives: ocean schools