Our oceans unit has lots of fun Montessori-inspired activities! Today I want to share a fun layers of the ocean activity that works well for multiple ages.
Making a special layers of the ocean bottle was a wonderful activity to watch my 8-year-old grandson make independently while sharing the activity and making a special bottle for his 2½-year-old sister.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
What We Used to Make the Layers of the Ocean Bottle
- Free Printable: Make Your Own Layers of the Ocean Bottle from Tanglewood Hollow
- Empty Voss water bottle (or bottles if you want to make more than one) We used the 11.2 oz. size, since it works well for sensory bottles. We had to adapt the recipe to add a little less than 1/3 cup of ingredients rather than 3/4 cup, since the bottle was smaller than the one shown in the printable.
- Corn syrup (I don’t keep this in my craft supplies, so this is the only item I had to order.)
- Vegetable oil
- Blue dish soap
- Rubbing alcohol
- Small funnel
- Blue food coloring
- Water
- Measuring cup
Making a Layers of the Ocean Bottle
Making a Layers of the Ocean Bottle
My 8-year old grandson (Chrissy Chitwood‘s son) wanted to make two bottles – one for his 2½-year-old sister and one for himself. Both Arabella and I loved that idea!
Caleb took charge of finding the supplies needed and preparing the bottles. There are two pages of directions, which Caleb read and followed. There are some helpful tips, such as using a funnel and pouring water in very slowly to avoid lots of soap bubbles.
Preschoolers can do the activity with supervision and help as needed, but it’s fun to have elementary-age children who can take charge of the whole activity!
Giving His Little Sister a Layers of the Ocean Bottle
When Caleb was finished making a bottle, he gave it to Arabella. Arabella was thrilled! She thanked Caleb twice and told him she was so happy to have an ocean bottle!
Checking His Layers of the Ocean Bottle
After completing Arabella’s layers of the ocean bottle, Caleb made one for himself. He labeled the layers on his ocean and checked it through the window.
Making layers of the ocean bottles was a great activity, and both Caleb and Arabella loved it!
Our Layers of the Ocean Resources
Layers of the Ocean Work
These are the main resources Caleb used for studying layers of the ocean. I gave him the Magic School bus pages to complete, which worked well for home use.
These are all great books:
- Gail Gibbons’ Exploring the Deep, Dark Sea is a fun, fascinating book with lots of information. The link is to a new, updated version!
- Life in the Ocean Layers: Level 4 (Mathematics Readers)
- Steve Jenkins’ Down Down Down (an amazing book)
You’ll find a variety of oceans printables and activities in my Free Oceans Printables and Montessori-inspired Oceans Activities post. The layers of the oceans printables from that post are linked below.
This uses an organizer I love. It’s classified as a bookshelf, but it’s perfect for printables for elementary-age kids. These are the layers of the ocean printables on the bookshelf:
Free Printable: Layers of the Ocean Craft from Fun House Toys
Free Printable: Parts of Trilobite | Sorting animals by ocean zone | 2nd Great Lesson by Mindful Montessori Solutions at TPT
Free Printable: Make Your Own Layers of the Ocean Bottle from Tanglewood Hollow
The photo above shows the free layers of the ocean printables that are on the rack at the left along with two pages from the Magic School Bus Rides Again: Exploring Oceans Science Kit. We had gotten this kit during a previous seashell unit and had lots of fun with the seashell-themed activities in it. I had saved parts for other units, and the layers of the oceans activities are perfect for this unit. These particular activities have stickers, so they’re best for one child at home or a small group working together.
Free Geography Packs
Montessori-Inspired Oceans Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Montessori-Inspired Ocean Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Montessori-Inspired Continents Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Montessori-Inspired Me on the Map Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
More Geography Resources
Free Oceans Printables and Montessori-Inspired Oceans Activities
Free Continents Printables and Montessori-Inspired Continents Activities
Free Continent and Ocean Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time
- “All About Me” Free Printables and Activities for Back to School
- DIY Cosmic Nesting Boxes, Map Towers, and “Me on the Map” Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Compass Rose Activities and Outdoor Compass Walks
- DIY Montessori Globes
- Land, Water, Air Activities from Montessori By Mom
- Montessori Land, Air, and Water Activities
- Continent Map Work
- Montessori Continent Boxes
- Creative Ideas for Montessori Continent Boxes from Around the World
- Montessori Continent Activities for North America (or Applied to Other Continents)
- Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities with Animal Figures and Landmarks – North America
- Montessori Activities for South America (and Other Continents)
- Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities with Animal Figures – South America
- Montessori Activities for Europe (and Other Continents)
- Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities with Animal Figures and Landmarks – Europe)
- Montessori-Inspired Study of Africa
- Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities Using Replicas – Africa
- Simple African Animal and Continent Map Cut-and-Paste Activity {Free Printables}
- Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities with Animal Figures and Landmarks – Asia
- Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities with Animal Figures – Australia
- Montessori-Inspired Little Passports Activities – Australia
- Montessori-Inspired Little Passports Global Adventure (This post contains Montessori-inspired activities for many individual countries using Little Passports packages and resources found online.)
- Earth Exploration Activities from Montessori By Mom (includes a variety of geography activities)
- Montessori-Inspired Map Activities Using Pin It! Maps
More Ocean Resources and Activities
- Free Ocean Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ocean Activities
- Free Ocean Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Guided Ocean Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
- Free Guided Ocean Meditations {Mindfulness Resources for Teens and Adults}
- Free Ocean Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- The Best Ocean Books for Kids
- The Ultimate Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit
- Free Shark Songs and Educational Videos
- Non-Scary and Montessori-Friendly Resources for a Shark Tooth Dig
- How to Make a Simple Ocean Animal Water Table or Sensory Bin Featuring Sharks
- Shark Water-Bead Number or Letter Sensory Bin
- Free Shark Printables and Montessori-Inspired Shark Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Ocean Unit
- Montessori-Inspired Resources for World Oceans Day
Montessori-Inspired Ocean Math Activities - Shells and Starfish Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom
- Farm, Zoo, & Ocean Animal Sensory Bottles for Babies and Toddlers
- Coral Reef Kit and Sensory Bin
- DIY Coral Reef Water Table with Practical Life Activities
- How to Make a Simple Ocean Animal Water Table or Sensory Bin Featuring Sharks
- Ocean-themed, Editable Name and Word Tracing Pack in Print or Cursive
- Free Shark Printables and Activities for a Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit
- Free Orca Printables and Montessori-Inspired Orca Activities
- Favorite Books for an Orca Theme
- Montessori-Inspired Orca Tray with Sensory Bottle for Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Free Beluga Whale Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities
- Favorite Books for a Beluga Whale Theme
- Ocean Unit Study Pinterest Board
If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page where you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Instagram, Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), and YouTube. While you’re here, please check out the Living Montessori Now shop.
And don’t forget one of the best ways to follow me by signing up for my weekly newsletter. You’ll receive some awesome freebies in the process!
Leave a Reply