We love jellyfish!
Brainless, boneless, bloodless — and yet, they are some of the planet’s best survivors.
They are such fascinating animals to learn about. Plus, they just look so cool!
It seems that many of us are fascinated by these mind-boggling creatures…kids of all ages — and their parents too — always look with wide-eyed wonder when we teach about these odd gelatinous creatures.
So, we’ve put together a collection of 8 fun activities for getting kids to experience the magic of jellyfish, sting-free!
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While any time of year works for these STEAM activities, many of them are especially fun to do in the summer when the days are hot and school’s out, or even as a part of a back-to-school ocean unit.
Oh, and for more ocean fun, be sure to check out our ocean picture books at our Amazon author page here.
We’ve gone beyond the classroom in hopes to share the ocean love, writing and illustrating tales of undersea magic featuring real sea creatures.
Each book is its own FIN-tastic adventure!
Let’s dive into some jellyfish fun, with no need to worry about getting stung!
1. Jellyfish Tentacle Sensory Bottle
There’s a major “oooo” factor with this jellyfish tentacle jar!
Feel free to use water that’s dyed with blue food coloring instead of the blue body wash that we used.
Click here for our Jellyfish Tentacle Sensory Bottle craft
2. Jellyfish Races Game
Turn your backyard or patio into a spray zone! This game is so fun, and fantastic for hot days.
You can substitute any floating object for the fake jellyfish that we used. A couple examples: a zip-top bag that you blow air into before sealing or an empty plastic food container with the top on it. (You could even expand the activity into a floating lesson by comparing different objects!)
You can simplify our setup too — no need to cut the container lid, just place the floating object in the water!
Click here for our Jellyfish Races Game
3. 3D Jellyfish Craft
Using household items, this craft is a blast to make! Get creative with recycled items like packaging & used cleaned food containers.
Hang your jellyfish from a tree and watch it move in the wind just like a jellyfish would move under the sea:
Click here for our Jellyfish Craft using household items
4. Jellyfish For Lunch
See what you have in your fridge & pantry to make a jellyfish snack or meal! Here are some ideas:
This one uses dates, puffed cereal, and fruit roll-ups:
Click here for Jolly Jellyfish Snacks from Nature’s Path
We love the zoodles that make the tentacles on these super-cute:
Click here for a Peanut Butter & Jelly Jellyfish Snack from Eating Richly
And here’s a meal that uses spaghetti noodles & a hot dog:
From Pinterest: poke dry spaghetti pasta in a hot dog and boil.
5. Ocean Motion Dance Video
Get the kids jiggling, wiggling, and giggling with our Zale’s Tales dance video for kids!
Jiggle like a jellyfish, spout like a whale, paddle like a sea turtle and more.
The 3 minute video is free with email signup to our email list!
6. Jellyfish Costume
We love this idea! Here are a couple examples of how to dress up as a jellyfish, any time of the year:
Click here for a DIY Costume with Lights
Click here for one from Alpha Mom that uses an umbrella, so fun!
Be creative with what you might have at home, like packing materials, used ribbon, or other items that might be able to be repurposed.
7. Jellyfish Stings Learning Zone
Step right up to our Jellyfish Learning Zone!
This is great for understanding how jellyfish sting, how to treat a sting, and the very important tip to remember that even dead jellyfish can still sting:
For a great animation about how jellyfish sting, watch:
And here are a few astonishing facts about jellyfish to entertain the brain in our Jellyfish Fact Sheet:
8. Jellyfish Mesoglea Sensory Experience
Get sensory! Mesoglea is the jellylike substance that jellyfish are made of. (Mesoglea is 95% water.)
So, to get in “touch” with what this super-cool gel feels like, you could:
- Use a thawed out flexible gel ice pack to gently squeeze and feel the gel inside
- Make a gelatin (or gelatin-like/agar) treat to touch and then eat!
We hope you enjoyed all of the jellyfish fun! Have any questions about jellyfish? Let us know by leaving a reply below and we’d be glad to help answer them!
Disclaimer: All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
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