Add an ocean craft to your lesson plans to help deepen an ocean unit study. From plant life to animals, you are covered!
Ocean Crafts with Kids
Crafts, especially dioramas, are a great way to have kids learn about animals, habitats, ecosystems, and biomes.
The knowledge gained can then be applied to making a diorama to showcase how an ecosystem or biome looks.
Thought about how animals and plants would interact is considered when creating an ocean diorama.
For example, the fish may hide behind the coral, or a whale may swim above seaweed as it gets to the top of the water to breathe air.
The possibilities are only limited to each kid’s imagination.
Printables can be a great way to get the creative juices flowing and help make the project go quicker.
But, of course, kids can create their own items to add to the ocean craft, too!
Grab a box that is lying around, some scissors, glue, and crayons, and have your kids create a unique ocean craft.
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Items Needed to Make an Ocean Diorama Craft
-free printables (on cardstock, if possible)
-blue construction paper (optional)
-glue (or tape)
-coloring tools (crayons, markers, etc.)
-box
How to Make the Ocean Craft
1. Pick out a box. One about the size of standard sheets of paper in length and width may work best.
2. Color the sheets of animals and plants.
3. Turn the box on its side so the opening flaps face you. It may be easier to work if the flaps are cut off, although it isn’t essential.
4. Choose the ocean water pages to glue inside the box. Blue construction paper can also be added to the inside of the box. Cut the pages, if needed, to get them to fit inside the box.
5. Glue the water pages inside the box.
6. Add the sand pages to the bottom of inside the box. The pages may need to be overlapped depending on the box size.
7. Cut out the animals and plants for the ocean craft on the dotted line and the outermost solid line.
8. Fold the paper attached to the plant and animals on the solid black line so there is a rectangle on one side of the fold. This rectangle will be used to help stand up the item.
9. Fold the rectangle so it is pointing behind your item.
10. Put glue on the bottom of the rectangle and stick it where you want it to be. The item should be standing up.
11. Continue to place plants and animals around the ocean diorama craft to complete it.
12. If desired, kids can make items out of clay or draw other plants, fish, or animals to include in the diorama.
Where to Find the Printable
The free printable for this activity can be found here.
Printing on cardstock is best because it is strong enough to keep from flopping over.
If printing on cardstock isn’t possible, use a popsicle stick taped to the back of the item to keep it from flopping over in the ocean diorama craft.
Ocean Craft
Little prep is required for this ocean craft (as long as the sheets are printed and you have a box lying around), making it perfect for a quick activity.
In addition, kids can add to the ocean craft to show what they know about the ocean.