\n\nWith over 240,000 recognized species in our oceans (and new species being discovered every day), learning about marine life has never been more exciting. If you’re looking for a fun and fascinating way to learn about sea animals, why not create your very own classroom aquarium? Using the excellent \nThe Sea Book\n, by Charlotte Milner, children can research and craft their favorite sea animals by creating vibrant poster displays, brightly colored artwork, or terrifying papier-mâché creatures, using pipe-cleaners and other craft knick-knacks to make them as realistic as possible.

 Create an ocean zoo!

\n\nWith less than five percent of Earth’s oceans explored, the ocean bed remains as captivating and frightening as ever. Let children’s imaginations run wild as they research and create fact files on ancient shipwrecks, underwater explorers, and the mysteries of the abyss in \nDK Eyewitness: Ocean\n and \nDKfindout! Oceans\n. With amazing facts, infographics, statistics, and timelines to reveal the many aspects of marine life, this task has something for everyone and children will love presenting their findings in class and in assemblies.\n\n

Discover the secrets of the deep!

With over half the Earth’s oxygen coming from the ocean, keeping oceans (and marine life) as clean and safe as possible is vital. To support this, children can make a short David-Attenborough-style documentary in groups detailing our impact on oceans, ocean life, and the environment. Using fun-filled resources such as \nKnowledge Encyclopedia Ocean!\n, children can present fascinating facts on pollution, habitat loss, and climate change, as well as how we can preserve our oceans.\n\n

Saving our oceans

The Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Southern Ocean: They all have a fantastic story to tell and are amazing in so many ways. But which ocean has the edge? Splitting students into ‘ocean teams' and asking them to research and present what makes their ocean so uniquely fascinating gives students an excellent opportunity to learn all about the ocean in an engaging and collaborative environment, through learning about the creatures that live within each ocean, and each ocean’s subtle (and not so subtle!) differences. A class vote after all presentations have finished also allows for one of ‘\nEarth’s Incredible Oceans\n’ to be crowned the ‘winner’!\n\n

The ‘O’ Factor

With so little of Earth’s oceans explored, National Oceans Month is a fantastic opportunity for children to imagine themselves in the depths of the oceans, sailing the world, or even in character as a shark or a whale. Why not have children write about a day in the life of a sea creature? Or use some of the phenomenal 3-D images in \nKnowledge Encyclopaedia Ocean\n as a writing prompt? Why not ask students to write a story about crossing Mid-Ocean Ridge (the longest range of mountains in the world, crossing an underwater distance of 65,000 kilometres)? With 25,000 islands lying within the Pacific Ocean (more than anywhere else on the planet), a diary entry from a castaway provides wonderful opportunities for students to use their newfound ocean knowledge.\n\nAnd, after all of the fun of National Oceans Month, what better way to finish the day than with a quiz on all things ocean? With a massive range of engaging quizzes in the \nDKfindout! \nseries\n, there’s no need to scour the web for pre-made quizzes; or why not try out a \nthemed \nKahoot\n? It couldn’t be easier!\n\n\n

Pirates, explorers, or sharks…?

Jonny Kay is Head of Teaching, Learning and Assessment at a college in North East England. He has previously worked as Head of English and Math in FE and as an English teacher and Head of English in secondary schools. He tweets\n @jonnykayteacher\n and his book, \nImproving Maths and English in Further Education: A Practical Guide\n, is available now.

Feeling inspired? Dive in with these books...\n

Feeling inspired? Dive in with these books...

Now in Paperback! Dive in and discover the watery world covering most of our earth and the amazing wildlife in its depths in Eyewitness: Oceans. Through images, maps and informative text learn about life on the shore to the darkest depths of the ocean floor, including predators and prey, gas and oil exploration, products of the ocean, brave explorers and what the human race can do to help preserve one of the earth's most valuable resources. For over 25 years, DK's Eyewitness books have been the most trusted nonfiction series in classrooms, libraries, and homes around the world. In summer 2014 this award-winning series will get a fresh new look both inside and out. The introduction of paperback editions, eye-catching jackets, and updated interiors ensure that the Eyewitness series will continue to be relevant in the ever-changing world of education and remain the go-to source for homework help, research projects, reluctant readers, ESL students, and, as always, to satisfy the minds of curious kids.

DK Eyewitness Books: Ocean

Featuring fascinating, fishy fun facts accompanied by bright, bold, and beautiful illustrations, this book takes children on a journey through the sea and all its zones.  This charming celebration of the sea shows children how extraordinary our oceans are and is a reminder that it is up to us to keep it that way.  The Sea Book is the coolest educational book about the sea, covering a wealth of sea animals, including mammals, fish, invertebrates, and reptiles. It explores the underwater worlds of incredible marine life and their habitats. From up on the ice, down to colorful coral reefs, underwater forests, and right down to the deepest darkest depths where the weird and wonderful lurk - it's sure to delight any ocean obsessed child. Following on from The Bee Book, Charlotte Milner continues to highlight critical environmental issues faced by our planet. This time the focus is on our watery friends and the damaging effects humans are having on our seas. The perfect introduction to ocean conservation packaged in a way that won't leave children (or their parents for that matter) fearing for life on earth.  Children will discover what they can do to help, and there are fantastic tips on how to live plastic-free as well. Kids will also get to craft their own recycled shopping bag too! Dive Into A Watery World What lies beneath the waves? Life can be found everywhere in the sea - from the sunlit ocean surface to the darkest depths. The sea is home to a variety of life, which makes it a fascinating, exciting, and significant place.  There are more than 33 000 types of fish. Some fish can fly, some can dance, some are flat, and some are long. The sea has forests, ice, and exciting critters too. This adorable kid's book is the perfect meet-cute for kids and our beautiful oceans.  Discover our oceans in a whole new way, learning about: - Why the see is important - What lies beneath the waves - Life on the ice - Changing seas and plastic problems - How you can help and much, much more! This delightful book is one of three children's books on conservation for your little ones to enjoy. Try The Bat Book and The Bee Book next!

The Sea Book

Enter the world of oceans and discover all the interesting animals that live in them! Swim with jellyfish, wonder at the busy life of a seagrass meadow, and fence with narwhals in this lovingly illustrated children’s book. Take kids on a fascinating underwater journey, showing them just how amazing oceans are, what plants and animals live in them, and how we can help them Inside the pages of this kids ocean book, you’ll discover:    • Interesting information about oceans that supports and goes beyond the curriculum    • Fun and unusual facts to convey the amazing world of ocean life    • Detailed illustrations and photographs of fish, shellfish, mammals such as dolphins, waves, and more Explore a world hidden below the waves Let's go on an underwater adventure! From glowing jellyfish to deep-sea dwellers, children will discover the incredible secret world of life under the sea. This ocean book is filled with a combination of gorgeous photographs and colorful illustrations that will delight and inspire kids - teaching them the importance of the ocean and how to help take care of it themselves. Little ones  will be intrigued by sea life like sharks, narwhals, sea birds, ocean reptiles, and so much more. They will learn interesting facts, and explanations about how the ocean functions, like how underwater plants and species rely on each other, and how ocean animals have fun and look after their young. This beautiful book is the perfect gift for young animal and conservation enthusiasts. More children’s nature titles to discover  DK's Kid’s Nature series is a series of educational books for kids that teach them about the magical natural world. Other books in this series include The Magic and Mystery of Trees and The Book of Brilliant Bugs.

Earth's Incredible Oceans

Explore the deep blue as you’ve never known before with this children's encyclopedia perfect for a young explorer. Forming part of a fantastic series of kid's educational books, this bold and brilliant kid's encyclopedia uses ground-breaking CGI imagery to reveal the world as you've never seen it before. Informative, diverse in subject matter, easy to read and brimming with beautiful graphics, young learners can explore the incredibly detailed cross-sections and cutaways that reveal the inner workings of our incredible oceans.  This charming children’s encyclopedia opens the world in new ways, with:  - Packed with facts, charts, timelines, and illustrations that cover a vast range of topics.  - Encompassing a visual approach with illustrations, photographs and extremely detailed 3D CGI images. - Crystal clear text distills the key information. - DK's encyclopedias are fact-checked by subject experts to offer accuracy beyond online sources of information. This fully-updated edition of Knowledge Encyclopedia Ocean! is the perfect encyclopedia for children aged 9-12, ideal for inquisitive minds, covering the topics of ocean science, seashores, polar oceans, ocean maps and so much more! Jam-packed with fun facts about sea creatures and ocean environments, you can explore sharks, jellyfish, turtles, dolphins, octopuses, penguins, and seahorses, fish and an array of other animals that call the ocean their home.  Explore, Discover And Learn! DK's Knowledge Encyclopedia Ocean! uncovers the marvels of the underwater world in unprecedented detail and with stunning realism. Encompassing engaging facts about animal behavior under the water, including a closer look at the geography, geology, and ecology that lies beneath the waves from the dramatic landscapes of the deepest trench and towering underwater chimneys, to coastal coral reefs and kelp forests teeming with life, you can spend quality time diving into the deep blue with your children, accompanied by impressive visuals to engage their senses. A must-have volume for curious kids with a thirst for knowledge, this enthralling ocean encyclopedia is structured in such a way that your child can read a bit at a time, and feel comfortable to pause and ask questions. Doubling up as the perfect gift for young readers, who are always asking questions about the underwater world.  At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. This thrilling kid’s encyclopedia is part of the Knowledge Encyclopedia educational series. Celebrate your child’s curiosity as they complete the collection and discover diverse facts about the world around them. Explore the animal kingdom like never before with Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal! Travel back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the earth with Knowledge Encyclopedia Dinosaur! And hone your knowledge on how the human body works with Knowledge Encyclopedia Human Body! Whatever topic takes their fancy, there’s an encyclopedia for everyone!

Knowledge Encyclopedia Ocean!

With over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface covered in water, and an astonishing 94 percent of the Earth’s living species existing within our oceans, National Oceans Month is a chance to learn about and celebrate our oceans.\nBut with so many oceanic opportunities, what can we do to excite children during National Oceans Month 2022? Let’s dive straight in… 

Fantastic teaching ideas for National Oceans Month

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