This week’s theme:

Mysterious Places – The Ocean

Fact of the day:

The majority of life on Earth is aquatic, a staggering 94% of the Earth’s living species exist within oceans.

Resources list:

Paper, paint, coloured pens/pencils, patterned backgrounds; String, magnet, headband, headtorch, card fish shapes, paperclips; 8 ties or strips of fabric or ribbon; Toilet roll tubes, wool, scissors; blanket or tablecloth; Bottle, non-latex glove, hot water and hair gel.

Activity 1:

There are many underwater creatures that are great at disguise – watch this incredible video.

Cuttlefish are colour magicians of the deep, with the ability to change their colour, texture and shape almost instantaneously to blend in with their surroundings.

What cuttlefish can do is known as adaptive camouflage, which is the ability to adapt to its surroundings in a split second. Can you camouflage some objects? A blue pen on a blue book background. Or paint something to match the same patterned backgrounds, maybe like this.

Activity 2:

Pufferfish, also known as blowfish, developed their famous “puff” because their slow swimming style make them vulnerable to predators. Most pufferfish contain a toxic substance that makes them foul tasting and potentially deadly to some fish. This toxin, however, is most definitely deadly to humans! There is enough poison in one fish to kill 30 adult humans, and we have yet to discover an antidote.

Have a game similar to ‘musical statues’; ask somebody to play your favourite song, swim around the room like a fish as it plays. When the music stops, freeze and move your arms into a circle around you and blow out your cheeks so it looks like you’re puffing or blowing up like a puffer fish!

Activity 3:

Down in the very depths of the deepest oceans that sunlight can no longer reach exists the ‘Midnight Zone’, a pitch black part of the sea that is home to some very unusual and skilfully adapted species.

Anglerfish are one of the creatures that rely on their bioluminescent light to catch prey, they have a bright lure on the top of its head which it waves backwards and forwards.

Can you create a fishing game but the fishing line (piece of string with magnet attached) is attached to your head (be attaching it to a headband or hat, or better still to a head torch). Cut out some fish shapes and attach metal paper clips to them. See what you as an angler fish can catch!

Activity 4:

Octopuses are ocean creatures that have eight ‘arms’. They also have three hearts and blue blood; they squirt ink to deter predators; and being boneless, they can squeeze into (or out of) tight spaces. They are quite intelligent and have been observed using tools.

Tie 8 ties/scarves/ribbons/strips of fabric to your belt – swish your tentacles as you dance to this song.

Activity 5:

Make a toilet roll tube squid and octopus. Why not take a photo of your molluscs and share them with us? You can share it on our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or send it to melanie@purplepatcharts.org and we’ll put it online for you!

Activity 6:

In the reefs of the western Pacific, female Manta Rays pick their perfect partner by leading male suitors on a spectacular high-energy dance. It starts with one female manta ray leading up to 25 male suitors in an amazing acrobatic display. like this. They all line up behind her one by one as if in military step before following their female leader on a spectacular helter-skelter chase around the reef. The female manta ray swims as fast as she can, swooping and turning, and the males pursue her, trying to keep up. She sometimes performs dizzying somersaults out of the water as if to make it more difficult for them to mimic her. Eventually, most of the male rays get tired and give up, leaving the last one swimming in her wake the winner.

Using a blanket over your shoulders to make the shape of a Manta Ray, dance in your garden like a Manta Ray.

Activity 7:

Make a Jellyfish sensory bottle like this here using a bottle, non-latex glove, hot water and hair gel. It mimics the movement of Jellyfish  in the ocean. Can you move your body and wibble-wobble like the jellyfish too?