The Octonauts explore the great big ocean by Meomi

​If you have seen the TV show, hopefully you have seen the books that the show was based on. ​There are several set of Octonauts books out there, but the ones by Meomi are the original and they stand out from all others with their beautiful illustrations and attention to detail. In this book, the Octonauts hunt for the habitat the vegimals come from. It is a brilliant exploration of different ocean habitats and ties in wonderfully to any underwater unit or habitat study.
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​⚈​ 1 Play ideas  ⚈​ 2 Classroom Activities  ⚈​ 3 Links to more Resources

​​Get your hands on this book here:
Name recognition fishing - Age 2+
This activity can be adapted in many ways. To tie in with the Octonauts, we cut out fish shapes using foam and wrote a letter on each fish, ready to be caught in our nets. The same could be done in the bath or in a water table. You could write all the ABCs and have children say the sound as they catch them or simply aim for the letters that are in their name.

Read about when we originally shared it on Instagram -  HERE
Habitats small world - Age 1+

Join the Octonauts as they visit habitats around the world.  Why not set up some small play areas based on each one? Throw some cold water animals in a water table with ice for the antarctic. Fill a bucket with rocks, stones and water for a rock pool. Water, grass and mud make a great swamp. Children can explore the animal's homes, use language linked to each or simply enjoy the sensory feeling of the water/ice/rocks.

​Read about when we originally shared it on Instagram - HERE and HERE and HERE 
Tracing fine motor skill practise - Age 1+

Tracing is a great activity for encouraging children to practise creating straighter and steadier lines. Emerging writers (around age 4/5) can try placing plastic sheets or laminating sheets over any picture (linked to any book!) and outline their favourite characters. Younger kids can also use plastic over a picture and scribble away. This is a nice activity for different aged siblings to do together, each in their own way.

Read about when we originally shared it on Instagram ​-HERE
  • Further investigate any of the habitats from the story and the animals that live there
  • Pick one habitat and have each student research and write about a different animal or plant from there (for a class book or display)
  • Bring in kelp to taste (and look up recipes for cooking it like the vegimals!)
World Ocean's Day is June 8th and the official website has a number of Octonauts' resources. Find them HERE.

The Octonauts' own website has nice colouring pages to download, HERE.
Click below for other books and activities about underwater: