Children survey water habitats before focusing on the bodies and behaviours of crabs, turtles, dolphins, and octopuses. Murals, animal crafts, stories, letter X formation, oval-shape investigations, movement, and fireless cooking provide varied ways to revisit the topic.
What children learn
- Identify natural and human-made water habitats and name animals that live in or near water.
- Describe characteristic features and survival behaviours of crabs, turtles, dolphins, and octopuses.
- Recognise and construct the letter X and connect it with its sound and initial-word examples.
- Recognise, construct, sort, and find the oval shape in familiar objects and natural materials.
Key activities
- Paint a collaborative ocean mural with water animals, seaweed, coral, and sand.
- Make paper-plate crab and turtle crafts after investigating shells, legs, and movement.
- Retell The Ugly Duckling through discussion and a torn-paper duckling craft.
- Create a two-tone dolphin collage and an eight-legged, threaded octopus craft.
- Build oval collages and clay ovals, then make oval leaf imprints.
You’ll need
Water-animal pictures and figurines, blue chart paper and paint, paper plates and craft pieces, tissue paper and glue, letter X flashcards and loose parts, oval flashcards and objects, magazines and clay, leaves and paint, lemonade ingredients and utensils.
Structure: 5 days; each day includes a Thought of the Day, Tuning-in Time, gross-motor development, cognition/literacy, literacy or fine-motor work, and numeracy.