Its Week 10 of Ranger Stu's Virtual Zoo (10 weeks of lock down now, wow!).
This week it is another topic that was submitted and I absolutely love it!
Most of the earth is water and the ocean takes up 70% of the earths surface! This means that there is a massive amount of life in the ocean and many areas of the ocean haven't even been explored yet!
I do not keep any sea creatures at the zoo but we do have a large pond full of goldfish and we also have a tropical fish tank. Many years ago I was given a group of hermit crabs from a rescue centre and they often came to school visits with me and even the occasional animal party!
As usual on Wednesday I will be posting a video on my YouTube channel (subscribe here!). We will meet lots of animals from the sea including 5 of the strangest animals in the ocean, so don't forget to check that out on Wednesday!
Sea Creatures!
There is an incredible amount of life in the worlds oceans, from tiny microscopic invertebrates to giant 30 metre long blue whales!
Blue whales are the largest animal that has ever lived and they were nearly hunted to extinction many years ago so we are very fortunate that they are still alive today!
Whales are not fish but mammals just like us.
We find many mammals in the ocean including dolphins, whales, seals and even polar bears!
You will find ocean birds such as penguins and albatross, you find reptiles such as sea snakes and turtles and you also find hundreds of thousands of species of mini beasts from tiny flatworms to the colossal squid!
The most common animal group we think of when we think of oceans however are the fish! From sharks to the blob fish we are fascinated with fish!
Some live in the deep ocean without any form of light, some live in coral reefs hiding amongst the corals and anemones and some live underneath the arctic ice!
In fact the only group of animals you will not find many examples of in oceans are the amphibians and that is due to the salt content which could kill them. However there are a handful of amphibians that can tolerate salt water such as the crab eating frog (pretty awesome name if you ask me!).
If you would like to find out more about animal groups then please take a look at Ranger Stu's Virtual Zoo week 8. where we learnt all about animal classification!
On to your weekly tasks!
EYFS - Create a Coral Reef!
We had a swimmingly good time with this task, it may even be my favourite one yet!
I was really looking for a task that everyone can do at home using objects that are found within every home... toilets rolls are back alongside cardboard (all those amazon delivery boxes now have a use!).
All you need is...
Cardboard
A small cardboard box
Glue or tape
Scissors
Crayons or paint
Decorations (if you wish)
Draw your sea creatures on to cardboard, paint or colour them in. If you wish you can decorate them using buttons or sequins or even real shells if you like.
Cut them out and glue or tape them to the smaller box, make sure some stick out over the edges as this will help to make your coral reef look 3D.
We also used kebab skewers so that the fish and turtle were above the coral reef below.
As an extra activity, why not add a couple of toilet roll octopus to hang out around your coral reef!
All you need is a toilet roll, paint, some scissors and imagination!
Paint or colour in your octopus. Octopi can change their colour AND texture in the wild so it can be as funky as you like!
Once dry, cut into the end of the tube (all the way around) so that you end up with some thick strips, these are going to be your tentacles. Bend them slightly and then paint or colour underneath!
Voila! An 8 legged friend!
KS1 and KS2- Crack the Under Sea Code!
Here's something we haven't done before at Ranger Stu's Virtual Zoo...become a code breaker!
This worksheet involves maths, code breaking and sea creatures! What a combination!
During lockdown you can create a free account with Twinkl using the code TWINKLHELPS.
Can you work out which sea creature is named on each line by cracking the codes?
It also mentions an animal as an amazing fact at the top of the worksheet, can you find out what the jellyfish is called? I promise you it is truly incredible and it has a rather impressive name to match!
If you would like to share pictures of your coral reefs or code breaking answers then you can post pictures of your activities to my Facebook and Instagram or you can post them in the comments section below.
Enjoy, take care and stay safe.
Ranger Stu
Want to enjoy more Ranger Stu content?
Why not take a look at Ranger Stu's Virtual Zoo, live animals visiting your classroom, scout group or organisation virtually!
The great thing about Ranger Stu’s Virtual Zoo is that this can take place at any school or educational group within the U.K. or even the world!
Find out more on the link below and get in touch today for availability and pricing.
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