This week in Classical Conversations (Cycle 1), we learned about the layers of the oceans, or ocean zones.
This was a simple and fun activity that required minimal effort and supplies you probably already have lying around.
(We got the idea from this book)
First, gather 5 clear cups or jars and line them up next to one another. Make sure you put down parchment or kraft paper underneath if your surface stains easily, since you will be working with food coloring.
Next, fill them up 3/4 of the way with lukewarm water.
To the first cup, add 2 drops of yellow food coloring. This will be the Sunlit (Epipelagic) Zone.
To the next cup, add 1 drop of blue food coloring, for the Twilight (Mesopelagic) Zone.
To the third cup, add 2 drops of blue food coloring, for the Midnight (Bathypelagic) Zone.
To the fourth cup, add 3 drops of blue food coloring; this is the Abyssal (Abyssopelagic) Zone.
We added a fifth category: Trench. Add 4 drops of blue and 1 drop of red; it should look nearly black.
Now, have your kiddos place one ice cube in the second cup, three in the third cup, five in the fourth cup, and a handful in the last cup. This represents the ocean temperature as you go deeper, and it’s really fun to feel how the temperature changes as you move from cup to cup! You can also discuss how the pressure changes as you go deeper into the ocean’s layers.
We also printed out labels for each zone.
To add another element of learning, we got out our mini ocean animals and the boys dropped each animal into the ocean zone in which they live. We had to reference our books for some of them – it was a great learning opportunity!
Let me know if you try this activity, and how it went!
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