Free Orca Printables and Montessori-Inspired Orca Activities

Orcas are fascinating marine mammals! And they’ve been especially fun to focus on ever since my 15-month-old granddaughter, Arabella, fell in love with orcas at SeaWorld when she was 12 months old! Arabella’s interest was the inspiration for our new orca unit!

Here, you’ll find links to free orca printables used to prepare hands-on activities and a new Montessori-inspired orca pack for our newsletter subscribers’ resource library!

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

M0ntessori Shelves with Orca-Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired orca-themed numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Note: The Montessori-inspired orca pack isn’t designed as a complete orca unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)

You could mix your orca-themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special orca-themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. Many of these are designed for early elementary as well as preschoolers. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.

Montessori Shelves with Orca-Themed Activities and Photo of Digital Orca Sculpture

Notice the framed photograph Digital Orcad by Faruk Ateş (kurafire). It’s a free download from Flickr CC. “P365x52-17: Digital Orca by @DougCoupland” by kurafire is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The photograph’s description says “There are many cool Vancouver-specific urban elements I could photograph for this week’s theme, but ever since moving here I’ve been meaning to capture Doug Coupland’s digital orca.” You can read more about the Digital Orca sculpture here.

For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!

If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.

Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers

I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop

Orca-Themed Books for Kids

Even though I have books on shelves, I’m now keeping many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a plant where the themed book basket was before. Most of my seasonal books are now in that book basket.

For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).

Books for an Orca Unit

Top Shelf of Main Themed Shelf:

The Fantastic World of Marine Mammals. It has lots of great 2-page spreads about a variety of marine mammals, including orcas.
There’s a lot of fascinating information about the orca life cycle in the Baby Orca book.
The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth has lots and lots of stunning two-page spreads. I often use it!
DK Smithsonian Picturepedia, which I love for most units, including our orca unit. It has gorgeous photos and illustrations with amazing two-page spreads on a wide variety of topics.

Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:

Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth
Ocean Anatomy
National Geographic Kids Ocean Animals: Whos Who in the Deep Blue Sea

2nd Shelf:

Ocean: A Visual Encyclopedia (Gorgeous book!)
A Mammal Is an Animal
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Mammalpedia

3rd Shelf:

Marvelous Mammals: This series (I have and recommend the whole set) is great for young readers and preschoolers who are learning about animal classifications!)
Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs
Orcas (Elementary Explorers)

4th Shelf:

Bottom Shelf:

Orcas: Guardians of the Deep
The Little Book of Ocean Animals is one of the very few items with a battery that I like for young children. It’s an inviting way for children to learn to identify a variety of ocean animal sounds. Not only is there a clear image and description of each ocean animal but the book includes each animal’s scientific name, where found, what it feeds on, young, adult characteristics, and length. Of course, the best part is the set of buttons with a animal-head button that plays each ocean animal’s unique song. Recommended for ages 3 on up, although my grandkids have loved this series as babies. (Note: Over the years, I’ve purchased every book in the series because my grandkids love them so much, and they’ve learned so much from them!)
Goodnight Little Orcas: A Counting Book (typically only available as used book, so you have to check on the book’s current price and availability)

You can see lots of Orca Books for Kids here.

Marine Mammals Book with Whales and Dolphins TOOB Figures and Cards

The book is The Fantastic World of Marine Mammals. It has lots of great 2-page spreads about a variety of marine mammals, including orcas.

I used the Safari Ltd. Dolphins and Whales TOOB.

Free Printable: Whales and Dolphins Safari Toob Free Montessori Editable 3-Part Cards by Montessori Nature at TPT. I like that these include descriptions … so helpful!

I’ve used the lovely Whales and Dolphins Safari TOOB Cards from Montessori Print Shop. Those aren’t free, but they’re inexpensive and have lovely, clear whale and dolphin images that are feathered. They’re 3-period cards for ages 3-6 without description cards.

I’ve also used the Dolphin and Whale Nomenclature and Description Cards from Every Star Is Different. They’re part of a complete Montessori-Inspired Dolphins and Whales Printable Pack that you’ll see reviewed here.

Whales and Dolphins TOOB and Cards

I like to use just two parts of these cards for variety in using nomenclature cards and as a way to reinforce the information on them. With younger children, I’ll read the information to them as they match the cards. Older children can read it on their own.

Baby Orca Book with Life Cycle and Parts of an Orca Printables

There’s a lot of fascinating information about the orca life cycle in the Baby Orca book.

Free Printable: Life Cycle Mobile for a Killer Whale by Simply Science at TPT. There’s a colored version and a black and white version. This can make a fun mobile. My 7-year-old grandson, Caleb, took a page with the black and white version and wanted to make it into a book to read to his toddler sister. He carefully colored all the images before assembling his book and titling it “The Life of an Orca.”

Free Printable: Parts of an Orca 3-Part Cards and Bookmaking Printable from MontessoriSoul. There’s also a page of blackline images for bookmaking.

LEGO Orca with Dolphin Pages from The Animal Book

I found a LEGO Creator 3 in 1 Wild Animals Panda Family – Building Toy with 3 Building Options, Panda, Penguin, or Orca, which I was excited about! My grandson assembled it for me. (He later created a seaside restaurant on a second blue base to go with the orca display!)

The book on the easel is The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth. It has lots and lots of stunning two-page spreads. I often use it!

Sand Writing Tray for an Orca Theme

Free Printable: /or/ phonogram in orca (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)

Free Printable: /d/ for dorsal fin (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).

You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.

The sandpaper letters I use are available in print or cursive.

I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I like it for writing more than one letter or spelling words. (Note: That sand tray is currently unavailable, but you’ll find lots of other options for Montessori sand trays on Etsy.) I found some colored sand in 12 colors on Amazon that I started to use instead of salt or colored salt. I love it because it’s so soft and feels great!

I added an orca from the Antarctica TOOB.

If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.

Or in Orca Work with Orca Alphabet Cards

Or in Orca Work

The open book is The Fantastic World of Marine Mammals.

These are the double sandpaper letters I use.

Free Printables: Orca alphabet cards in print and cursive (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)

I have a new themed alphabet card set each month now, and each set is very adaptable. You can use them for activities such as matching the letters with sandpaper letters to matching print to cursive letters to spelling words with the alphabet cards used as a themed movable alphabet.

Orca Math Water Activity

Having Big Brother Help Count Orcas in Water Activity

Free Printable: Orca number cards 1-30 or however many you choose to use (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).

I used a container with water colored by food coloring. I added 30 miniature orcas to the water for a very simple orca water/sensory bin. My 15-month-old granddaughter, Arabella, had fun touching the orcas and picking them out the the water. Her 7-year-old brother, Caleb, would count the orcas as she picked them up. He showed her the number card for the number of orcas she had, although that isn’t needed for toddlers.

Note: With toddlers, I constantly supervise an activity like this, using water and small objects. I don’t leave it on the shelf unless it has a lid the toddler can’t open.

Orca Water Activity with Addition

This shows how the orca water activity can be used for addition with a preschooler. You could have the child pick up a handful of orcas with the left hand and another handful with the right hand. Then add the two numbers together to find a total.

Orca Tray for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Having Fun with Orca Tray

At 15 months, my now-11-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, was obsessed with Baby Beluga and beluga whales. I prepared a baby beluga tray, which she loved.

Now, my youngest granddaughter is obsessed with orcas. So I prepared an orca tray with Schleich orca, orca sensory bottle (similar to the baby beluga sensory bottle), Baby Orca: Finger Puppet Book, and free photos of orcas from Unsplash.

Arabella loves the Baby Orca: Finger Puppet Book. It’s very sweet and lots of fun to read to babies and toddlers! Arabella loves everything on her new tray!

Orca Activities on Another Shelf

These resources aren’t free, but they’re great additions to our orca unit.

Orca Printables

I got the 171-page Orca Unit Study from Sienta Novel on Etsy. It’s not free, but it’s very inexpensively priced for such a large unit study. I love that it has lots of information, lovely images, and activities for a variety of ages. I just use the pages that I feel are important to add to our unit along with some that are simply fun.

Orca Geography Activities

Orcas are found in every ocean around the world, but I think it’s especially interesting that they’re found in both polar regions. The open book on the easel is the DK Smithsonian Picturepedia, which I love for most units, including our orca unit. It has gorgeous photos and illustrations with amazing two-page spreads on a wide variety of topics.

Along with our Montessori continents globe, I added the orca photo and description cards with concise, detailed information from the Dolphin and Whale Nomenclature and Description Cards from Every Star Is Different. They’re part of a complete Montessori-Inspired Dolphins and Whales Printable Pack, which I mentioned earlier.

Free Montessori-Inspired Orca Pack

Montessori-Inspired Orca 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).

More Ocean Resources and Activities

Ocean Science

More (Non-Human) Mammal Resources and Activities

Mammal Toys on Amazon

Helpful Animal Classification Posts

If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout July and August, see my July Themed Activities for Kids. and my August Themed Activities for Kids.

I hope you have a great rest of the summer!

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