For this age, you may find it easier to use a blue paint strip (free in the paint section of a hardware store) to illustrate the different layers. See a fun tutorial here. A simplified version can also be taught using only the 3 top layers (Sunlight, Twilight, Midnight)

Recreate the layers using things you have around the house: a pile of pillows, construction paper, fabric scraps, sidewalk chalk

Make a layered jello ‘ocean cake’ to eat your way through the ocean.

Draw silly creatures using chalk on black paper and imagine what specimens have yet to be discovered.

Play bioluminescent flashlight tag 

Watch a video of deep sea creatures and design your own using silk scarves or silly dance moves to ‘swim’ around 

Make a layered jello ‘ocean cake’ to eat your way through the ocean.

Draw silly creatures using chalk on black paper and imagine what specimens have yet to be discovered.

Play bioluminescent flashlight tag 

Purchase Safari Toobs: Deep Sea Creatures to:

>Recreate a ‘small world’ deep ocean scene

>Fill a sensory bin with dark material (black feather boa, dried black beans, black fabric) and place figurines inside for your little one to find

>Fill an ice cube tray with water, place figurines inside. Let them freeze then let your child chip away at them for an outdoor water activity.

SCIENCE

In the video, you learned a little about liquid density. List as many liquids as you can, preferably ones you may have around the house. Make a hypothesis and put them in order of least to most dense. If you have them at home, ask an adult to help you pour some into a jar to observe. Record your results. What surprised you?

TECHNOLOGY + ENGINEERING

The farther you dive into the ocean, the more intense the pressure becomes. By the time you reach the sea floor, it would feel like 50 airplanes are on top of you! Our bodies can’t withstand that amount of pressure and most submersibles can’t either. Can you design a deep sea submarine that can withstand the pressure? What special features would it have? Would its inhabitants also need to wear special pressure-protecting gear?

MATH

Watch The Ocean is Way Deeper Than You Think and discuss what you learned.