God’s Amazing Sea Creatures Unit Study for Elementary Homeschoolers

In this Sea Creatures Unit Study, your kids will love learning about many of the Amazing Sea Creatures that fill the oceans of the world.

Your students will cover all main subjects while learning about Whales, Sharks, Cuttlefish, Jellyfish, Rays, Octopi, Angler Fish, Puffer Fish, Seahorses, Sea Turtles, and more in this Sea Creatures Unit Study for Elementary Students.

Only about 20% of the world’s oceans have been studied. That means we still have lots to learn about the many different marine creatures that God created. In this Sea Creatures unit study, we’ll learn about some of these amazing creations!

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you click on them, I may make a tiny commission, at no extra cost to you. For more info, check our privacy policy.

Sea Creatures Unit Study: Bible

Have your children copy out a Bible verse about sea creatures using the Amazing Sea Creatures Copywork printables (available in 3 levels: easy, intermediate, and cursive).

Complete one of the sea creatures devotionals each day from My Big Book of 5-Minute Devotions by Pamela Kennedy Have your kids memorize one of the “characteristic” verses that go with the devotional. For example, the characteristic for Sea Turtles is perseverance, 2 Cor. 4:8.

Sea Creatures Unit Study: Language Arts

Literature

Picture Books

Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins

How to Hide an Octopus and Other Sea Creatures by Ruth Heller

N Is for Narwhal: ABC of Ocean Oddities Alphabet of Obscure, Endangered, and Underappreciated Sea Animals by Anastasia Kierst

Independent Readers

Sea Creatures: Made by God by Zondervan

Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures by Bonnie Worth

Little Critter: Going to the Sea Park by Mercer Mayer

Weird Sea Creatures by Laura Marsh

Poetry

At the Sea Floor Café: Odd Ocean Critter Poems by Leslie Bulion

Family Read-Aloud

Non-Fiction

Sea Creatures by Simon Seymour

Children’s Guide to Sea Creatures by Jinny Johnson

Atlas of Ocean Adventures: Plunge into the depths of the ocean and discover wonderful sea creatures, incredible habitats, and unmissable underwater events by Emily Hawkins

1001 Things to Spot in the Sea (Usborne) by Katie Daynes (One of my kids’ favorite books!)

Really Wild Animals: Deep Sea Dive National Geographic DVD It’s likely that you can find this DVD at your local library.

Writing

Let your students select 3 or 4 of their favorite ocean animals and then research those animals. Have them use the Sea Creatures Report for Elementary Students from the Unit Study Printables Pack in the Free Resource Library to write what they’ve learned.

Not a member of the HHO Squad yet? Scroll down to the light blue box at the bottom (sidebar) to sign up and get immediate access to the Free Resource Library.

Sea Creatures Unit Study: Science

Anatomy

Here are 6 marine animals to learn that you can learn about: whales, sharks, octopuses, cuttlefish, jellyfish, and manta rays. Learn the external anatomy of these animals and label the drawings with the Sea Creatures Anatomy Worksheets in the Unit Study Printables Pack in the Free Resource Library.

Oceanography

Learn what a typical ocean voyage is like for oceanographers (scientists who study the ocean) with the book, Far from Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage by Sophie Webb

Ocean Zones

Explore the different zones (or layers) of the ocean by making an Ocean Zone Density Jar.

Or, you can use a box to make an ocean layers diorama similiar to what Happy Tot Shelf did with a bookshelf.

Find out which marine animals live in the different zones. How did God make them suited for that particular environment?

Sea Creatures Unit Study: History

Marine biology is the study of the life that lives in water. The Greek philosopher Aristotle is consider the “Father” of marine biology and no one else recorded their studies of marine life for centuries afterward.

Then in the 18th century, Captain James Cook made 3 voyages for the United Kingdom, and interest was suddenly renewed. You can learn more about Captain James Cook and record your findings on the notebooking page for James Cook.

One famous marine biologist of the 20th century was Eugenie Clark. Eugenie grew up spending many of her days at the New York Aquarium. She became a famous marine biologist who studied marine life and was especially interested in sharks. This interest led her to become known as “The Shark Lady” because of the way she studied live specimens by diving into the ocean with them.

Ms. Clark also made many other important discoveries. She has several different species of marine life named after her. She had a very prolific and active career (and she made her last dive just one year before her death at age 92!). One of her most interesting discoveries is a fish in the Red Sea called the Moses Red Sea Sole. When threatened, this small fish releases a shark repellant chemical. Isn’t that cool?

Read more about the Shark Lady in this easy chapter book, by Ann McGovern, Shark Lady: True Adventures of Eugenie Clark.

Or read the picture book, Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating

Sea Creatures Unit Study: Art

Learn how to draw ocean animals with this helpful video from Draw with Emma.

Or check out this full playlist of How to Draw Ocean Animals from one of our favorite YouTubers: Art for Kids Hub

Even more ideas for your Sea Creatures Unit Study

Create some aquatic animals with Legos. Use these ideas from JDaniels4mom along with a printable play-mat.

Practice weaving skills with this fun paper woven Octopus craft.

Or check out the Lego marine animal designs from Frugal Fun for Boys & Girls

Research a career in marine biology, or marine geology, or one of the many other growing fields in studying the ocean.

More Ocean Homeschooling Resources

Your preschool, kindergarten and early elementary kiddos will enjoy the All About Oceans Unit Study while your older kids are doing this unit study as many of the lessons and activities coordinate.

Be sure to pin this post to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it again later.

And be sure to follow Homeschool Helper Online on Pinterest for 1000s more free homeschooling resources!