See full version: 18 Ways to Teach Kids about Coral Reefs
Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons (one of my favorite science authors for kids!) is packed with geography lessons on coral reefs, facts on the creatures that live there, how the coral reefs grow, and they difference between the day and night colonies. here
When kids learn about biomes and ecosystems, it seems a little dry and distant. It’s unlikely they’ll take a trip to a rainforest or the tundra during the unit, (but not impossible!) so these fabulous lesson plans, movies, activities, and books are the next best thing. Skpe with a marine biologist! Pour over gorgeous photographs! Play with trading cards featuring the coral reefs! Grow your own “coral reefs”! Teachers and parents can transform remote coral reefs into memorable lessons for kids with these 18 activities.
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Jean-Michael Cousteau takes us to the Souther Pacific on a dive to the pristine coral reef. The brilliant colors and unique animals were amazing to see up close (even better on a big screen!). Kids will love the colors in the coral reef ecosystem, and will hear why some reefs are dying- plus what we can do to save them.
Coral Reefs by Jason Chin begins as an ordinary story of a girl visiting the library, but soon water pours into the library and coral grows around her as she swims through the plants and animals of the coral reefs. The water color illustrations are realistic and detailed, and the pages are packed with facts about all of the creatures of the amazing coral reefs.
Coral reefs are being destroyed at an alarming rate. It is estimated that we have already lost 10% of the worlds reefs, and scientists say that in the next 50 years many of the coral reefs on Earth will be gone. This destruction is often connected with human activity: pollution, sewage, erosion, irresponsible fishing, poor tourism practices, and global warming.
Other animals that live on the coral reef include sea urchins, sponges, sea stars, worms, fish, sharks, rays, lobster, shrimp, octopus, snails and many more. Many of these animals work together as a team like the coral polyps and zooxanthellae. This teamwork is called symbiosis. One example of symbiosis on the reef is the anemonefish and sea anemone. The sea anemone’s tentacles provide protection and safety for the fish and their eggs, while the fish protects the anemone from predators, such as butterflyfish. Sometimes anemonefish even remove parasites from their home anemone. [links]
HABITAT: Coral reefs need water that is between 68 - 82°F (20 - 28°C), which is often located along the eastern shores of land. Reefs usually develop in areas that have a lot of wave action because the waves bring in food, nutrients and oxygen to the reef. Waves also prevent sediment from falling on the reef. Reefs need calcium from the water to grow, which is more often available in shallow warm waters.
PLANTS: The sun is the source of energy for the coral reef ecosystem. Plant plankton, called phytoplankton, algae and other plants convert light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis. As animals eat the plants and other animals, energy is passed through the food chain. Reef building corals work together with microscopic algae, called zooxanthellae, that live in their tissue. The zooxanthellae provide oxygen and food to the coral through photosynthesis. The coral polyp gives the algae a home, and the carbon dioxide it needs through respiration. Besides zooxanthellae, algae and seagrasses are the main types of plants in the coral reef ecosystem. These plants give food and oxygen to the animals that live on the reef. Seagrasses are especially important because they provide shelter for juvenile reef animals like conch and lobster.
ANIMALS: Did you know that there can be as many different types of fish in two acres of coral reef in Southeast Asia as there are species of birds on the entire continent of North America? Shocking, isn’t it? Coral reefs only make up about 1% of the ocean floor, but they house nearly 25% of life in the ocean. Animals use coral reefs either as a stopping point, like an oasis, as they travel the deep blue sea, or they live as residents at the reef. The corals themselves are the most abundant animal on the reef. They are tiny organisms called polyps, that attach themselves to the hard reef and live there forever. The reef is like a giant apartment building in New York City and the coral polyps live together in each apartment. Corals are closely related to sea anemones and sea jellies, and use their tentacles for defense and to capture their prey. Corals can be a variety of colors, white, red, pink, green, blue, orange and purple, due to natural pigments and the zooxanthellae in their tissues. more
LOCATION: Coral reefs are generally found in clear, tropical oceans. Coral reefs form in waters from the surface to about 150 feet (45 meters) deep because they need sunlight to survive. The three types of reefs include fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs occur along shorelines of continents and islands and are commonly found in Hawaii and the Caribbean. Barrier reefs are found farther offshore than fringing reefs, occurring most often in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean. Atolls are a series of low coral islands surrounding a central lagoon, frequently found in the Indo-Pacific. The largest reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is longer than 1200 miles (1900 km). That’s longer than the distance between Seattle, WA and Los Angeles, CA!
This majestic landform is truly one of the world’s most extraordinary natural wonders. Do you know that it is the only living organism that can actually be spotted from space? [links]
My daughter aspires to be a marine biologist, so she loves any and every lesson that has anything to do with the ocean.
Although your kids may think that Finding Nemo is the coolest thing about the Great Barrier Reef, one look at the reef and you (and them) will see that it is so much more. [links]
Coral reefs need warm and shallow waters in order to grow. Most of them in the world are located in Southeast Asia and Australia. here
She loves snorkeling, and her favorite place to snorkel is to one of the reefs by a friend’s resort during low tide. Coral reefs have the most beautiful and colorful fish I have ever seen – not that I explore very often.
As the polyps die, they become hard and new ones grow. This is how reefs grow. more
The water must be shallow.
A starfish’s habitat ranges from a coral reef to kelp forests and deep-sea floors. (Asharkyu/ Shutterstock)
A nudibranch is a soft-bodied mollusk that sheds it shell after the larval stage. (Cbpix/ Shutterstock)