There is something magical about the sea and the wonder of it draws all man to it. The sea has been the source of food for as long as mankind existed but at the same time the tales about its mystical creatures has been around since the beginning of time. Thanks to progress of technology many of the mysteries have been resolved. However, many more remain. Many of us can’t go on the journey to the Antarctica, underwater in a submarine to explore the depth of the ocean, or see the life forms that fill it as well as see the creatures in its natural environment but thanks to researchers who dedicate their life to the creatures of the sea we are able to view them in theses beautiful state of the art aquariums with environments as close to natural ones as possible. All you have to do is stand back and enjoy the view.
Monterey Bay Aquarium:
If you want to experience the wander of the sea in a safe, relaxed, and kid friendly atmosphere then Monterey Bay Aquarium is the best place to do it at. Maybe in the near future we will explore the sea ourself with deep water diving.
The jellyfish had us mesmerized and we could seriously spend all day in the jellies exhibit of the aquarium. Who could ever think that these transparent, bell-shaped plankton could be so heartless yet so beautiful? It’s amazing to think that without water, you would not be able to see a jellyfish because they are made up of 98 percent water and without the water they would be unrecognizable.
Our second favorite exhibit in the aquarium is the tentacles because coming face to face with an octopus is a pretty amazing experience. So glad that there is a glass between us and this eight legged creature which can squirt ink when if feels threatened.
If you can only experience one feeding or program we would highly recommend the Kelp Forest. The interaction between man and sea creatures in a tank is pretty neat. In a way you might wish that you could swim with the fish in a kelp forest and have a shark eat out of your hands.
Monterey Bay Aquarium is Located at :886 Cannery Row Monterey, CA 93940.
They are open daily from 10 am – 5 Pm. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org.
Hands on Learning
We really enjoy art because there is no wrong way of doing art. We found such an amazing online art class known as the Artventure. There were many sea pictures that we could have chosen from but we chose to draw the crab. Two of my children followed all of the instructions but two of them chose to paint their crabs differently. One of the great things about online art classes is that your child can go as fast or as slow as they want to. We paused the video often.
Petitcollage
We absolutely love the eco-friendly ocean ABC nesting blocks that feature an aquatic take on the alphabet, numbers, and counting. This is such a great way to expose your child to learn more about the ocean life. The pop-out ocean is a big hit in our family because so many hours have been spent playing with them. We also loved the puzzle because its large and full of color. To order yours visit petitcollage.
Funnybone Toys
The Arrazzles Under the Sea is such a great way to get your child to create, play, build, imagine, and learn about the sea. These geometric cards are so colorful and beautiful. We love that the possibilities to the different shapes are endless. There are 5 different pattern slots and 45 different cards which means taller and larger creations can be created. To order yours visit FunnyBones Toys.
What is your favorite Sea Creature?
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Jasmine Hewitt
Great post-the pictures really bring it to life!
Amy
Oh my goodness! Look at all the fun arts and crafts! What a fun trip to the aquarium too 🙂
Miri
Wow this is really great! The Under the Sea arrangements are darling.
Stacey
I love crafting. It’s very calming. That aquarium looks fantastic as well. I love sea creatures!
Melissa
Great post! The pictures are beautiful. It looks like you had a ton of fun.
Doris
I love your photos!!! And a wonderful post. We enjoy watching sea life here in Munich.
Mara
These are such great ideas! I love Monterey Bay, but haven’t been able to take the kids yet. They definitely love our local aquarium and when we pop over to Oahu, they love the Waikiki aquarium too. We love to do unit studies and will definitely check out some of these ideas to contribute to our at home learning!
Sane Mama
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of my favorite places on earth – I used to go there as a child. I can’t wait to bring my daughter there, she is in love with sea creatures right now. Jellyfish are her absolute favorites. I’ll have to check out some of these crafts.
Jessica Peresta
This is so cool! I love the learning taking place! Your site is SO awesome too! I am an online music teacher.
Vicki @ Babies to Bookworms
Those pictures are amazing! It looks like you all had so much fun and learned a lot! The aquarium near us is quite disappointing, so I’m super jealous you have such an amazing resource!
Dearlyndsey
I love this post. We love the aquarium and no matter how many times we go we are always in awe of it. Last year we went to symphony under the sea where an orchestra played music in the aquarium. They had the different sections in different areas of the exhibits. My kids loved it I didn’t even think about adding art to it. That art program looks like so much fun I may have to try and add that to our homeschool curriculum. I love all the hands on piece you added in.
Naya @ Lactivist in Louboutins
My husband and I LOVE Monterrey Bay Aquarium. We visited 10+ years ago, we would love to go back with our kids. I know they’d love to see all the different marine life they have there. These activities would be a great way to relive the memories after our visit!
Sharon Chen
This activity is nice. Educational and entertaining at the same time. I would love to visit the sea, too!
Girl @ girlintherapy.com
I LOVE aquariums. Whenever I travel, and if there is an aquarium, I will make it a point to visit.
I enjoyed your photos very much. And Artventure seems pretty neat!