How Do I
Wet & Wild: Fish
Objective:
Children will learn all about fish through stories and hands-on science activities.
Grade Level: K-2
Books:
Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea
Provides a top-to-bottom look at the ocean, from birds and waves to thermal vents and ooze.
Fish (an Eyewitness Book)
Photographs and text explore the characteristics, habitats, and variety of fishes and other undersea life.
Deep Ocean Creatures
Simple text and photographs present facts about and introduce young readers to marine animals.
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
A giant squid brags about being bigger than everything else in the ocean -- almost.
Return to the topActivities:
Swim Like a Fish
Play follow the leader around the room and go through a different leader and type of fish to swim like for each lap.
Suggestions:- Seahorse: To be seahorses we are going to hold our hands like they are glued to our hips and wave them back and forth.
- Eagle ray: Just like an eagle, the ray glides through the water and only flaps its "arms" once in a while. Glide around the room like an eagle ray!
- Puffer fish: In order to act like a puffer, you have to puff up your cheeks. The only problem with puffing up is that it makes swimming very difficult. Place your hands up by your ears and swim all puffed up.
- Shark: You can choose between being a regular shark with a fin on the top of your head, or a hammerhead with your fists next to your temples. As we swim around the room make quick turns from side to side. Then shark your way back to your seat.
Identify Parts of a Fish
Using rubber fish models, have the children point to different parts of the anatomy like fins, scales, gill covers, tails. Discuss the purpose of each body part and name its human counterpart.
Vocabulary:
Scales: the flat rigid plates that cover a fish's body
Gills: the respiratory organs of fish that allow them to breathe oxygen dissolved in water
Fins: the organs that allow a fish to propel themselves and balance
Aquatic: living in or growing on water
Predator: an animal that eats other animals
Prey: an animal that gets eaten by another animal
Additional Resources:
- National Geographic: Aquarium Habitats (Thinkfinity)
- National Geographic: Fish Aren't Afraid of the Dark!(Thinkfinity)
- National Geographic: Who Sees the Seas as Important? (Thinkfinity)
- Gallery of Pennsylvania Fishes
