Under the Sea {Preschool Thematic Unit}

1. 1. Sand and Sea Jar - Fill a clear plastic bottle or jar with layers of rocks, shells, sand, and water. Encourage the children to shake the jar as you discuss how sand is formed over a long period of time from the grinding of rocks against other rocks and shells. 
2. Life in the Sea Bulletin Board - Create the background of the sea life mural by spreading out two large sheets of butcher paper on the floor. Let the children finger paint one of the strips blue and the other brown. Add sand to the brown strip for a realistic sandy floor. When the paint is dry, make the water and sea floor background. During classtime, let the children join you in applying seaweed to the scene, by taking long strips of tissue paper or crepe paper. As the children create pictures and examples of the sea life add a few of these creations to the bulletin board scene..and watch the sea come alive. 
3. Starfish - Draw a star fish on blue paper. Apply glue to the inside of the star fish shape and then sprinkle on dry oatmeal, crushed cornflakes, OR cornmeal. Let dry and remove the excess. 
4. Cinnamon Sea Snails -  You will need cresent roll dough, soft butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Seperate the dough into triangles. Have the children spread the butter on one side, sprinkle the cinnamon and the sugar over the butter. Start with one end of the triangle and roll into a spiral. Bake as directed, let cool and enjoy! 
5. I Spy Jar -Fill a large polastic bottle with sand. Drop familiar objects into the bottle. Tighten the lid. As the children turn the bottle, different objects will surface. Name the objects, give clues for the children to find a certain item. Attach a card with pictures of the items. 
6. Sea life hunt & collage -   Tell the children they will be going to an imaginary seashore.  Have children color the printed shells and sea life, then cut out and hide them around the room.  Cut a piece of construction paper into strips approximately 2 1/2 inches wide with a wavy edge on one side. The children can glue this wavy piece (the ocean waves) to a brown or tan piece of construction paper (a brown paper bag can also be used).  The children can glue their found “shells” and sea animals to the sand. 
7. Pearly Bites Snack - (link)
8. Paper Plate Octopus - Have your child cut a paper plate in half. Have the child draw eyes on the plate, then glue on eight pieces of crepe paper to the bottom as arms. When dry hang by a window to see the octopus "swim." 
9. Paper Plate Fish - Draw a triangle mouth shape on a paper plate. Have your child cut out the triangle, and have them glue it on the fish as a tail. Let your child color, or use glitter, or tissue paper to decorate their fish. 
10. Goldfish Fun - Tape numbers in the inside of a muffin tin, 1 to 6. Tell your child to place the appropriate number of Goldfish crackers into each "fish bowl" (the holes in the muffin tin). 
11. Crab Walk - Have your children to sit on the floor and lean back on their hands. Have them keep their feet flat on the floor. Then have them lift their bottoms off the floor and try moving sideways as crabs do. 
12. Hot Dog Octopus - Cut slits into a hot dog 2/3's of the way up. Us a toothpick to poke two eyes near the top. Put the hot dog in a pan of boiling water. 
13. Fish in a Lake snack - Place goldfish crackers on a blue napkin (the lake). Supply children with a pretzel rod and a bit of creamy peanut butter (or use cheese spread). Have the child dip the pretzel rod (fishing pole) in the peanut butter or cheese (bait) and try to catch a fish. 
14. Paper Plate Oysters - Gather a paper plate and a cotton ball for each child. Also you will need gray and pink paints and glue. The kids should fold the plates in half and paint the insides of the "oyster" pink. When the pink is dried they should paint the outside of the plate gray. To complete they can glue the "pearl" into the center of the oyster. 
15. Rainbow fish – Give children a large cut-out fish shape and several torn pieces of colored tissue paper, cellophane, holographic paper, sequins, and/or aluminum foil.  Have them glue the tissue paper all over the fish to cover it, alternating and mixing colors.  
16. Aquarium - Take 2 paper plates & cut out the inner circle. Tape blue cellophane or clear plastic on to the inside of each plate. Glue fish, shells, sand & "seaweed" to the inside & then glue paper plate together to make an aquarium. 
17. Ocean Snack
    Have blue jello - complete with gummy fish! - for snack. 
18. Cheerio Octopus – Cheerios make great suction-cups for a paper octopus cutout!
19. Seascape – Sprinkle sand over glue on the bottom of a large sheet of paper (or clean styrofoam meat tray).  Let children add paper sea creatures, small shells, and paper seaweed.  When dry, cover the whole picture with blue saran wrap.
20. Sponge painting – Let children use real sea sponges (used for decorative painting) to print designs on paper.
21. Shell decorating – Let children paint large, dry pasta shells. They may decorate them any way they like since no two shells in the ocean are alike.
22. Difference in waters - Have two bowls of water. One saltwater and one fresh let your children taste and smell the different waters. Then let them float different items in the different waters. (Items that will not float in regular water will float in salt water) Finally, put two small amount in the freezer and check on them every couple of hours (the salt water will freeze slower).
23. Diving Fish - Take a clear two-liter bottle and draw sea shapes (seaweed, waves, etc) on the outside of it with a permanent marker. Fill the bottle mostly full with water. Next add about a 1/4-cup of white vinegar and 1 Teaspoon of baking soda to the bottle. Drop a small handful of raisins into the bottle. And then watch. The raisins will collect bubbles all around them from the vinegar and baking soda chemical reaction this will cause them to float to the top. Once the reaction calms back down they will sink back down and then form more bubbles (causing them to rise again!) This will repeat for up to a half-hour. 
24. W is for Whale – Cut out a large, blue W (or use white and let child paint it blue) and add a head and tail to make it resemble a whale.  (picture found on KinderPlans) 
25. Crayon Resist Ocean Painting - Materials: Crayola crayons (NOT washable), blue watercolor paint, white construction paper.  Have students draw an ocean scene with crayons on white paper.  Paint over the picture with a wash of blue watercolor.
26. Great handprint fish ideas - http://www.kinderkorner.com/underthesea.html
27. Shark Hunt - Sharks have excellent sense of hearing. Two or three timers were set and hidden in the room. Children use their sense of hearing, like a shark would, to find the timer before it goes off. 
28. Sea Shell Prints - Children used seashells in the play dough area to press into the play dough to make prints.
29. Beach Chums - Parents Magazine has a how-to video on how to create sea creatures from cardboard egg cartons.
30. Clothespin Mermaids - (Instructions at FamilyFun)