Preschoolers Learning about Marine Life from First Grade

Preschoolers Learn about Sea Creatures

Project-Based Learning in Preschool

Preschoolers in Stephanie Morris‘s class have been studying a unit about boating and fishing since the fall. They have built a boat in their classroom, observed Head of School Larry Van Meter’s canoe at the Head’s House, and experimented with making their own fishing rods.

Collaboration between Preschool and First Grade

For a special lesson, the preschool students visited Teri Kaiser’s first grade class so the first graders could share their knowledge that they have learned during their unit about marine life. The first graders presented facts and labeled drawings to teach their preschool friends about dolphins, whale sharks, starfish, jellyfish, sea turtles, and sea horses.

The older Moorestown Friends students were very knowledgeable about the sea creatures they studied so they were able to answer many of the preschoolers’ questions they had not yet figured out.

• How did you learn so much about sea horses? We read a lot of books!
• Can starfish smell? Yes, starfish smell with their skin, not through a nose.
• Do all sea creatures live in the same parts of the ocean? No, some sea creatures live in different zones, like the sunlit, twilight, or dark zones. Some sea creatures swim in more than one zone too. 
• Do all sharks eat people? Well, the whale shark has brush-like teeth and are harmless to humans. They eat fish like crawfish. 
• How many teeth do dolphins have? Dolphins have many more teeth than people do, sometimes up to 100 teeth!
• How do jellyfish sting you? Not all jellyfish will sting. Some have stingers on their tentacles but others do not, but you would have to get really close to be able to tell.