Putting The Pretty In Preschool

Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

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Sea Star Activities And Facts

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Sea star theme activities for early learners. Art, sensory, and math activities featured. Sea star facts and links to resources included.

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Sea stars have no trouble taking the spotlight along the sea edge or in an aquarium. They are stunning ocean creatures and come in a huge array of colors. And these sea star activities for early learners? They deliver.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more activities.

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Ten Fast Facts About Sea Stars

  • Many sea stars live in shallow water; all live on the ocean floor.
  • Five-armed sea stars are common, but some have 10, 20, or even 40 arms.
  • Just like octopuses, sea stars can grow back a lost arm.
  • Sea star eyes are at the end of their arms and look like red spots.
  • Up to thirty-five years is how long sea stars can live.
  • Sea water gets pumped through sea star bodies instead of blood.
  • Hundreds of tube feet on the underside of their bodies help sea stars move, hang on to rocks, and pull away.
  • Sea stars have soft bellies and tough spiny or leathery skin on their backs.
  • Clams, oysters, and snails are foods these carnivorous creatures eat.
  • Their bright colors allow sea stars to blend in with their surroundings, and help scare off attackers.

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Sea Star Activities

Sea Star Sensory Tray

Sea stars purchased at a craft store, and seashells, smooth rocks, and gems arranged in blue-hued water make an inviting sensory tray for early learners to explore.

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Sea star sensory tray with different sized sea stars and rocks, shells, and gems. The base for the sensory tray is blue water.

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Sea Star Counting

Colorful sea star counters and a ten frame give little learners hands-on counting practice. Download the ten frame here.

Sea star counting on a ten frame. This activity is also ideal for color recognition.

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Taste Safe Playdough And Sea Stars

This no-cook, easy-to-make playdough recipe is taste safe. Anyone with a sweet tooth will love it.

You will need:

  • 1 cup store-bought vanilla frosting
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup icing sugar
  • yellow and red food coloring

Mix and knead the frosting, cornstarch, and icing sugar in a bowl. This should make a moldable dough. If the playdough is a little sticky, knead in a bit more cornstarch. If the dough is dry, add a spoon or two of frosting.

Divide the dough into a large and small lump. In the smaller lump, knead in a little yellow and red food coloring. Place the playdough pieces on a tray along with sea stars, sea star molds, shells, stars, and chocolate chips. (Read on to find out why chocolate chips are on the tray.) Any ocean-themed loose parts you have handy will work.

Invite your early learner to explore the playdough and loose parts.

Sea star sensory play invitation using taste safe playdough.

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The recipe makes enough playdough for one or two children to use. Multiply the ingredients if more little learners are participating in the activity.

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Playdough Chocolate Chip Sea Star

Yes, there are starfish named “chocolate chip sea stars!” These sea stars come in a variety of colors but always have dark brown spots on top. They grow up to 15 inches / 38 centimeters in size and make good pets.

Invite your little learner to mold a five-armed chocolate chip sea star with the vanilla playdough. Then encourage adding little dots of orange-red playdough to the top of the starfish, and pressing in chocolate chips. This will complete the sea star.

Chocolate chip sea star made with taste safe playdough.

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This sea star is featured in the engaging picture book “I See Sea Food: Sea Creatures That Look Like Food” by Jenna Grodzicki.  

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Sea Star Art

Taste safe painted sea star inspired by the pink short-spined sea star.

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The two-ingredient paint recipe used in this art activity has previously been featured in my Octopus Theme Activities blog post. It works well in sea star art too. This project is inspired by the pink short-spined sea star. Click the link below for a video tutorial.

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View a Sea Star Art video tutorial.

Video tutorial featuring a taste safe painted starfish inspired by the pink short-spined sea star. This is an all-ages art activity.

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Fun Fact: Pink short-spined sea stars don’t mind getting dirty. They can be spotted in sand or mud, or on rocks and coral.

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Sea Star Sorting

A purchased package of sea stars provides an opportunity to order these star-shaped creatures from largest to smallest, or vice versa. The gigantic sea star included below is a garage sale find.

Sea stars in various sizes.

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Invitation to order sea stars from largest to smallest.

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Sea Star Observation

Although it is tempting to pick up sea stars, they should not be touched, poked, moved, or taken out of the water. It is best to observe them in an aquarium or while snorkeling.

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If you live near the ocean, there are likely many opportunities to see sea stars up close. But whether you do or don’t, the blog post “19 Bizarre And Beautiful Starfish Species” is a good read. It is packed with fascinating sea star facts and photos. Viewing the article is a good follow-up to the hands-on sea star activities featured in my post.

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0ctopus Theme Activities

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This post has been updated to include a free downloadable octopus template.

The octopus is a fascinating creature with no shortage of unique characteristics. The sea animals make a cheery topic for early learning activities. And after learning a few surprising facts about them, your family may even choose one for a pet!

Octopus theme facts, crafts, and small world play. The stunning feature art activity uses kitchen supplies. Art and science fun with learning for all ages.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more activities.

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Ten Fast Octopus Facts

  • Octopuses have 8 long arms with hundreds of tiny suction cups on them called suckers. Octopuses can feel, smell, and grab food and objects with them. They grow back an arm if they lose one.
  • Octopuses are very smart. They can solve simple puzzles and mazes. They take things apart. They have good memories.
  • Many octopuses prefer living on the ocean floor in deep waters. A few live in shallow waters.

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Octopus habitat.

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  • Octopuses live alone in dens they make or in shells they squeeze into and pull over themselves. They have no bones in their bodies, so they can fit into small spots.
  • Two large bulging eyes help octopuses see very well.
  • Having blue blood helps octopuses keep warm in colder water.
  • Crawling is the easiest way for octopuses to get around. Their hearts stop beating when they swim, which is much more tiring. They can also crawl on land.
  • Most octopuses are shy and solitary. An exception is the California two-spot octopus, which is not as afraid of people.
  • Octopuses squirt out a blackish, poisonous ink at animals that want to eat them. The ink makes the water dark and irritates the predators’ eyes. It also hurts their sense of smell and taste.
  • Camouflage is their specialty. Octopuses can change color and texture quickly so they look like the plants and rocks around them. They also use color to stand out or communicate with other octopuses. Some hues they can transform into are grey, brown, pink, blue, or green.

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California Two-Spot Octopus

Because of its striking eyespots underneath its real eyes, the California two-spot octopus is a standout. In a neutral surrounding, this octopus can look greyish with yellow spots. The false eyes range from lighter to darker shades of blue.

The California two-spot lives in shallow waters, so many people have seen one. This crustacean is friendlier than other octopuses and can make a good pet.

Click here for pictures and an informative article about this well-known octopus.

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California Two-Spot Octopus Art

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You will need:

  • cardstock paper octopus
  • yellow, blue, and metallic grey dot paint dabbers
  • black permanent felt pen

Trace and cut out a cardstock octopus. Feel free to download the template below to use for the project.

Download this free octopus template for art and craft projects.

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Octopus PrintableDownload

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Invite your early learner to draw eyes and a smile on the octopus with the felt pen. Ask your little one to decorate the octopus to look like the California two-spot using dot paint dabbers.

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Textured Octopus Craft

This painted, shiny pink and yellow octopus has neutral Toasted O’s suction cups.

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Octopus art activity using supplies easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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Your early learner can decorate a similar one with an easy-to-make, taste-safe paint using kitchen supplies.

Supplies To Collect:

  • white corn syrup
  • food coloring
  • Toasted O’s cereal
  • baby food jars
  • paintbrushes
  • spoons
  • cardstock paper octopus
  • black permanent felt pen
Invitation to paint an octopus with taste safe paint. An all=ages activity.

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Cut out an octopus pattern and ask your early learner to draw on a smile with the felt pen. (The downloadable octopus printable will work well for this craft too.)

Help your early learner mix a squirt or two of food coloring into a little white corn syrup poured into baby food jars.

Invite your little one to paint the octopus.

Octopus art activity using supplies easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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Afterward, your early learner can push craft eyes and Toasted O’s suction cups into the tacky paint to complete the project.

Octopus art activity using supplies easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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View a video tutorial for the Octopus Craft.

Octopus craft using taste safe ingredients.

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Octopus Sensory Tub

Your little one can help design and play in this simple sensory tub. The tub is a repurposed flying saucer sled.

Invitation to add cheerios cereal to a painted octopus. All supplies for this craft are easily found in the kitchen. An all-ages art activity.

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The sensory tub includes:

  • rocks, shells, and marine plants
  • an octopus figurine
  • other sea creatures such as a sea turtle, crab, and stingray fish
  • transparent gems

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Although shy and mysterious in the wild, octopuses have heaps of talent and spunky personalities. Would you consider having one for a pet?

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[Read more…] about 0ctopus Theme Activities