Tide Pool Invertebrates
Have you ever explored a tide pool while at the beach?
Wow, what are all those weird creatures? Did you recognize the arms with the suckers? How about the purple spiny things? Ever see a seashell scoot around like that? Tide pools are fascinating places to study science.
A majority of the animals you see in a tide pool are classed as invertebrates, which means they lack backbones. Invertebrates include animals like
jellyfish,
hermit crabs,
sea stars or starfish,
(Courtesy of Free Stock Photos for websites – FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
and
sea anemone.
(For more videos of tide pool creatures, try Marine Invertebrates Race Rocks.)
Activity: Today we are going to hone the observation skills needed to identify and classify the many diverse marine invertebrates by creating models.
First let’s get some inspiration by taking a look at models of marine invertebrates in the article More Than Art: The Blaschka Marine Invertebrates by William Warmus. Warmus tells the story of how when Thomas Eisner arrived Cornell University during the 1950s, he discovered a locked cabinet full of dusty sea creatures made of glass, and eventually traced their origins. Cool story with awesome photos!
Gather:
- Photos/drawings of various marine invertebrates such as the Invertebrate Guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Toothpicks, paint, markers, chenille, wikki stix (optional)
- Your favorite modeling compound such as:
- Salt dough
- Modeling clay
- We used: Crayola Model Magic (see below) with a coupon from the craft store
Study the examples and then create your own models. You can push in toothpicks as spines, and chenille or wikki skix as legs. Let the models dry and then paint and decorate them. You can use your models to create fun tidal pool scenes by adding rocks and/or construction paper algae.
Ideas:
If you have never tried it, Crayola Model Magic is a lot of fun. Look for sales and coupons. It is very easy to use and forgiving, so have fun and let your creativity loose!
If you are interested in downloading a poster of marine invertebrates, go to SPC Coastal Fisheries brochures and posters site and scroll down about half way to the “Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific Islands” poster.
I also recommend realistic aquatic invertebrate toys, especially is you live far from the beach. They are wonderful for bath play and can be used to build vocabulary. We used ours for sorting games too, a classification skill.
Books:
Children’s
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
Eric Carle’s beautiful illustrations make this book a perennial favorite.
How to Hide an Octopus and Other Sea Creatures by Ruth Heller
Ruth Heller is another favorite author of ours. This is a fun introduction to camouflage in the animal kingdom that teaches about a number of novel sea creatures.
What Lives in a Shell? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld and Helen K. Davie (Illustrator)
Simon & Schuster Children’s Guide to Sea Creatures by Jinny Johnson
There are a number of books about a single group of invertebrates, here are just two examples:
Sea Stars by Lola M. Schaefer
Crab by Lloyd G. Douglas
Adults might enjoy:
The Secret Life of Lobsters: How Fishermen and Scientists Are Unraveling the Mysteries of Our Favorite Crustacean (P.S.) by Trevor Corson
Edit: To check the rest of the posts on beach science, follow these links:
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