Summer Learning with School Beach Days
Nothing says summer like a day at the beach. The sand, the sun, the surf…it’s what memories are made of. The beach is also an amazing classroom teeming with possibilities. Get ready for some easy, entertaining, and highly educational fun! Here are some simple activities that anyone can do at the beach. Surf’s up, and so is summer learning with school beach days!
She Sells Seashells
Seashells are chock full of possibilities. They are fun to find and exciting to collect. Don’t stop at just collecting them in pails. Seashells can be used to make simple games like chess or tic-tac-toe. They also make excellent math manipulatives and can be painted to create a wonderful sorting activity for young children. Using seashells to learn can also be as easy as bringing along a nature guide to shells so the family can identify and learn about all the shells they find.
Natural Beauty
Beaches are some of the most beautiful places on earth. They have been photographed, painted, and recreated in just about every medium. How about creating art on the beach instead of just from its vista! Think about other school beach days using a scavenger hunt can amass piles of artifacts. These can be used to decorate sand sculptures, or crafted into a one of a kind souvenir! The crafting itself could be a little tricky at the beach. It will require a glue gun to secure your finds into a piece of art. However, that shouldn’t stop you from designing. Use the flat sand as your backdrop and design the souvenir you want for your home. Take a photo of your design and recreate it at home with crafting supplies.
Digging for Science Experiments
Sand is everywhere at the beach…it likes to come home with you, too. It’s taken for granted against the majestic ocean and colorful shells. However, sand is an entire science curriculum waiting to be unpacked. Bring along some basic supplies (magnets, magnifying glass, eyedropper, black paper, tweezers, etc) and a container to bring more sand home!
With your science kit on your school beach day, you can conduct experiments right there! Take a spoonful of sand and sort it out using a magnifying glass and tweezers. How many types of sand particles did you find? If you bring along a little vinegar, you can test the sand to see if any of it came from coral reefs. The calcium carbonate will react with the vinegar and cause CO2 bubbles! Lastly, you can push a magnet through the sand to see how much of it is made of metals. Be sure to bring some home for observing under the microscope. There’s nothing ordinary about sand!
Tidal Treasure Trove
Don’t leave the beach without searching for tidal pools. This is a chance to see all kinds of creatures close up. Tiny crabs, beached clams, snails, and more! The tidal pools are a micro-ecosystem that comes and goes. They can provide intriguing entertainment as the sea rests in a shallow basin. Use tide charts to plan your visit and be sure to take along a camera!
What do you have planned on your school beach days this summer?
60 thematic, hands-on activities to build fine motor control skills in June! These thematic activity pages are perfect for your June learning centers. Great for early finishers, take-home resources, or as a tutoring binder you can bring on the go!
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