10 Ways to Learn at the Beach
The beach is a great place to explore. You and your children can have all kinds of learning adventures along the shore, in the tide pools, and climbing the sand dunes. Here are some great ways to learn at the beach:
Engineer a Castle that withstands the Waves
Here’s a great STEM project: construct a castle with a moat that will withstand the occasional wave. This might take several tries.
Mark Off the Tides
Place a sturdy stick, that will withstand the waves, in the sand every hour, at the average place where the waves stop before rolling back. Then figure out how many feet the tide changes each hour. Estimate where it will be in 2 or 3 hours.
Explore a Tide Pool
When the tide goes out, a shallow pool of seawater, called a tide pool, is often left behind. Explore the tide pool for little creatures.
Sketch Nature
Bring along a sketch pad, or easel with paper, and pretend you are a world-famous artist, working on your next masterpiece. You can sketch the waves and the sky, or zero in on a bird.
Measure Beach Umbrella Shadows
Mark off the shadows cast by the beach umbrella each hour. How do they change? How often did you have to move yourself or the umbrella to get back in the shade.
Collect Seaweed
When the waves hit the shore, they often deposit seaweed. Gather it up and see if you can find more than one variety. Look it up online on a cell phone to see what kind it is.
Build Forts on the Dunes
Play tag and build forts on the dunes. Afterwards, take pictures of the dunes, the grasses, and any animals you see on the dunes. Is there any pattern to the size and shape of the dunes? Can you discover what kind of grasses are growing on the dunes?
Whale, Dolphin, & Shark Watch
Bring binoculars and search for large sea animals, like whales, dolphins, and sharks. Look for fins and count them. We often see dolphins or sharks a mile or so out at our beach; never whales, but maybe you live someplace where you can sight a whale.
Find the Animal Who Lives Here
Bring a shell guide with you to the beach that has pictures of the animals that live inside. Once you find a shell, find it in the guide and see what animal lives inside. We like to name the animals.
Preschooler Counting & Shapes
Look for shapes with your preschooler. “I see a round ball.” “I see a rectangular picnic basket.”
You can go counting, too. “Let’s count the towels.” “Let’s count the seagulls.”
For More Encouragement
Here are more posts and podcasts to encourage and equip you to homeschool with joy and success.
History Labs (https://powerlineprod.weebly.com/blog/history-labs)
Writing Directions Clear Enough to Write a Peanut Butter Sandwich (https://powerlineprod.weebly.com/blog/writing-directions-clearly-enough-to-make-a-peanut-butter-sandwich)
1001 Homeschool Days at the Beach (https://ultimateradioshow.com/1001-homeschool-days-at-the-beach/)
God bless you as you raise and teach your blessings!
Warmly,
Meredith Curtis
Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom, writer, speaker, and publisher, loves to encourage families in their homeschooling adventure. She is the author of Joyful and Successful Homeschooling (https://powerlineprod.weebly.com/joyfulhomeschool.html). You can check out her books, curricula, unit studies, and Bible studies at PowerlineProd.com (http://www.powerlineprod.com). Free Reading Lists (http://www.joyfulandsuccessfulhomeschooling.com/books/reading-lists/) for all ages are available at JSHomeschooling.com (http://www.joyfulandsuccessfulhomeschooling.com/). Read her blogs at MeredithCurtis.com (http://www.meredithcurtis.com/blog) and PowerlineProd.com (https://powerlineprod.weebly.com/blog) and listen to her at Finish Well Radio (http://ultimateradioshow.com/finish-well/).
