World Ocean Day 2024

World Ocean Day, celebrated on June 8th, offers a fantastic opportunity to inspire young minds about the importance of our oceans. As teachers, you play a crucial role in helping your students to appreciate marine life and the vital role oceans play in sustaining our planet. This blog post aims to provide you with engaging activities for classes ranging from KS1 to KS3 to help you plan your lessons around this special day.

Why Celebrate World Ocean Day?

The oceans cover more than 70% of our planet's surface and are home to a vast array of wildlife. They regulate the climate, provide food and generate most of the oxygen we breathe. However, oceans face numerous threats, including pollution, overfishing and climate change. Educating pupils about these issues can inspire the next generation to take action in protecting our precious marine environments.

Commemorating World Ocean Day with Developing Experts

To align your World Ocean Day activities with the national curriculum, here are some useful links to DE units that explore ocean life, ocean conservation or ocean-living animals:

• KS1 Science - Living things and their habitats - Habitats around the world 
• KS2 Science - Living things and their habitats - Conservation 
• KS3 Chemistry - Earth and Atmosphere.

For KS1 and KS2 classes, we have an additional topical lesson for you. Located in our Topical Lessons folder, the lesson contains a variety of downloadable resources to suit all classes!

Activity Ideas for World Ocean Day

1. Ocean in a Bottle (KS1-KS2)
   Create a mini-ocean in a bottle to teach pupils about the layers of the ocean and marine habitats. You will need:
   • A clear plastic bottle
   • Water
   • Blue food colouring
   • Vegetable oil
   • Small plastic sea creatures or shells
2. Instructions:
   • Fill the bottle one-third with water and add a few drops of blue food colouring.
   • Add small sea creatures or shells.
   • Fill the rest of the bottle with vegetable oil.
   • Seal the bottle and let students observe how the oil and water separate, representing different ocean layers.
3. Marine Food Web Activity (KS2-KS3)
   Create a food web to help pupils understand the connections between marine organisms. You will need:
   • Pictures of marine animals (printed or drawn)
   • String or yarn
   • Scissors
   • Tape or blue tack
4. Instructions:
   • Have pupils choose different marine animals and draw or find pictures of them.
   • Arrange the pictures on a bulletin board or large poster.
   • Use string to connect the animals, showing predator-prey relationships and the flow of energy through the food web.
5. Plastic Pollution Art Project (KS1-KS4)
   Raise awareness about plastic pollution by creating art from recycled materials. You will need:
   • Recycled plastic items (bottles, caps, straws, etc.)
   • Glue
   • Paint and brushes
   • Large cardboard or canvas
6. Instructions:
   • Collect clean plastic waste.
   • Have pupils design a mural or sculpture representing marine life or the ocean.
   • Assemble and glue the plastic pieces onto the cardboard or canvas.
   • Paint and decorate the artwork, emphasising the impact of plastic pollution on marine environments.

By integrating these activities into your lessons, you can make World Ocean Day an exciting and educational experience for your pupils. Not only will they learn about the wonders of the ocean, but they will also understand the importance of preserving this vital ecosystem for future generations.