Tag Archives: adaptation resources

2026 Ocean Events: Curriculum-Aligned Classroom Activities for the Whole Year

Early Years Ocean Incursions

 

Planning meaningful, engaging and curriculum-aligned learning about the ocean just got a whole lot easier!

At Ocean Life Education, we work with Early Years, Primary and Secondary Schools in South East Queensland, Australia to bring marine science, conservation and sustainability to life through hands-on, Australian Curriculum aligned incursions, excursions, and events.

To help teachers plan ahead, we’ve created this 2026 Ocean & Environment Events Calendar and matched key dates with simple, classroom-ready activity ideas you can use all year long – whether you’re teaching foundation or upper primary.

Ocean Events Calendar 2026This guide is perfect for:

✔️ Unit planning and inquiry units

✔️ Sustainability and science

✔️ Geography and HASS

✔️ National events & real-world connections

Why Teach Using Real-World and Local Events Helps:

  • Build relevance and student engagement
  • Support inquiry-based learning
  • Strengthen links to the Australian Curriculum
  • Create natural opportunities for cross-curricular projects
  • Connect classroom learning to real conservation issues

And furthermore – they work brilliantly alongside an Ocean Life Education incursion, excursion or event.

Term-by-Term Classroom Activity Ideas

🐢 Term 1: January – March

Seaweek Australia

 

Key Events:

World Wetlands Day (Feb 2)

World Whale Day (Feb 15)

SeaWeek (Feb 28 – Mar 8)

Clean Up Australia Day (Mar 1)

World Wildlife Day (Mar 3)

Earth Hour (Mar 28)

Classroom Ideas:

🧊 Foundation – Year 2

  • Sort pictures into land, wetland and ocean habitats (check out our Ocean Habitats video here) explaining that wetlands aren’t the ocean, but some wetlands are where the land and ocean meet. They’re like nature’s in-between zone.
  • Read popular ocean-themed books like:

Big Blue Whale – Nicola Davies
An illustrated non-fiction book that introduces children to the blue whale, the largest animal on Earth, explaining its size, habitat, and how it survives in the ocean. Great for introducing marine animals and basic facts.

🌏 Years 3–6

  • Great Barrier Reef for SchoolsDiscuss how students can help clean up the Great Barrier Reef Habitats  and how everyone can make a difference using our Human Impact Resources/ Activities. Why not organise a school clean-up audit and graph the results.
  • Investigate where our water comes from and where it goes
  • Create a “Save Our Seas” poster campaign
  • Read popular ocean-themed books like:

 

The Brilliant DeepOcean Speaks – Jess Keating. Ages 6–10 (Primary)
A picture-book biography about Marie Tharp, the scientist who helped map the ocean floor, showing how curiosity and persistence can lead to major scientific discoveries. Works well for units on science, scientists, and inquiry.

The Brilliant Deep – Kate Messner. Ages 7–12 (Upper Primary)
The inspiring true story of how one person’s idea helped start coral reef restoration. Ideal for learning about reefs ecosystems, human impact, and conservation.

 

Incursion & Excursion link:

👉 Marine habitats, animal adaptations, food chains, and human impact

🐧 Term 2: April – June

Key Events:

Earth Day (April 22)

World Turtle Day (May 23)

World Dugong Day (May 28)

World Environment Day (June 5)

World Ocean Day (June 8)

World Sea Turtle Day (June 16)

Classroom Ideas:

🎨 Early Years

 

Turtle Life Cycle

 

 

🔬 Primary

Incursion link:

👉 Australian marine animals, classification, life cycles, conservation

🦈 Term 3: July – September

Key Events:

Plastic Free July

Shark Awareness Day (July 14)

Coral Reef Awareness Week (July 20–26)

World Mangrove Day (July 26)

National Science Week (Aug 15–23)

World Whale Shark Day (Aug 30)

Biodiversity Month (September)

World Clean Up Day (Sept 20)

 

Classroom Ideas:

Plastic Diary♻️ Whole School

 

 

 

🪸 Science Focus

 

Incursion link:

👉 Ecosystems, food chains, biodiversity, reef health, pollution

 

🐙 Term 4: October – December

Coastcare Week

Key Events:

World Teachers’ Day (Oct 5)

World Octopus Day (Oct 8)

World Jellyfish Day (Nov 3)

National Recycling Week (Nov 9–15)

World Fisheries Day (Nov 21)

Coastcare Week (Dec)

Classroom Ideas:

Shark resources

 

📊 Years 3–6

  • Explore sustainable fishing vs overfishing
  • Create infographics about sea jellies, sharks or octopus
  • Design a future ocean with healthy ecosystems

 

Incursion/ excursion link:

👉 Sustainability, human impact, adaptations, marine careers

 

How Ocean Life Education Supports These Units

Our Early Years & Primary incursions are:

✔️ Australian Curriculum aligned

✔️ Hands-on and inquiry-based

✔️ Tailored for the year level and your needs

✔️ Linked to Science, Geography, HASS and Sustainability priorities

✔️ Designed to build real-world environmental understanding

We bring:

🐢 Live marine animals

🦈 Interactive displays and artefacts

🌏 Engaging conservation stories

🧠 Age-appropriate scientific concepts

Planning Tip for Teachers

When planning your yearly overview:

Ready to Bring the Ocean into Your Classroom?

Ocean Life Education works with schools across Australia to deliver unforgettable, curriculum-aligned marine education experiences.

 

 

Ocean Life EducationOcean Life Education helps Australians connect with the ocean and understand why it matters. Through engaging, hands-on programs, we explore Australia’s marine environments, the animals that live there, and the challenges our oceans face.

Our curriculum-aligned sessions are delivered in schools, at events, and in the field, and are tailored to each group. Using real marine animals and interactive activities, we build curiosity, deepen understanding, and inspire students to care for and protect our oceans into the future.

📚 Recommended Resources & Useful Links

Primary Incursions & Excursions

Primary Resources & Activities

34 Easy Ocean Crafts and Learning Activities for Kids – We Are Teachers

Saltwater Schools – Ocean Lesson Plans Australia: Marine Stewardship Council

We hoped you enjoyed reading our blog: 2026 Ocean Events: Curriculum-Aligned Classroom Activities for the Whole Year

Humpback Whale Adaptations: Fun Learning Activities for Schools

Humpback Whales for Schools

 

Humpback whales are one of Australia’s most iconic ocean visitors – and perfect for helping students explore how animals adapt to survive in their environments. With their incredible annual migration along Australia’s coasts, unique feeding behaviours and specialised physical features, humpbacks offer rich, hands-on learning opportunities that support the Australian Curriculum’s focus on biological sciences and understanding how living things adapt, grow and survive.

Below is a guide to humpback whale adaptations, plus simple, engaging activities that you can run in the classroom to bring ocean science to life.

Check out our educational programs that support this curriculum learning.

Link to whale resources here.

Humpback Whale Fast FactsHumpback Whale Anatomy

  • Species of baleen whale
  • Gets its name from the hump on its’ back
  • Distinctive shape – long pectoral fins and a knobbly head
  • Black on the upper (dorsal) side and black and white on the under (ventral) side
  • Ventral pleats run from the tip of the lower jaw to the belly
  • Dorsal fin on the back for stability
  • The shape and colour on the dorsal (upper) fin and tail is unique to each whale, like human fingerprints

 

Why Humpback Whales Are a Powerful Adaptation Example

Each year, humpback whales travel up to 10,000 km along Australia’s east coast – one of the longest migrations on the planet. Their journey from Antarctica to Queensland and back again highlights how animals rely on physical and behavioural adaptations to thrive in different environments.

Studying humpback whales helps learners develop:

🐋An understanding of how animals adapt to survive

🐋Observation and comparison skills

🐋Curiosity about marine ecosystems

🐋Awareness of ocean conservation and human impact

Key Humpback Whale Adaptations

  1. Blubber – A Built-In Heater

Humpbacks have a thick layer of blubber that keeps them warm in freezing Antarctic waters. It also provides energy when they stop feeding in warmer waters during migration.

Try it:
Blubber Glove Experiment – Students place a hand inside a bag surrounded by fat to feel how insulation works.

 

  1. Baleen Plates – The Ultimate Filter-Feeder Humpback Whale Baleen

Humpbacks are baleen whales, meaning they feed by filtering tiny shrimp-like creatures through fringed plates of long, fingernail-like material called baleen, attached to their upper jaws.

 

Try it:
Baleen Sieve Activity – Use a comb or colander with water and small floating items (e.g., lentils or bits of paper) to mimic how baleen traps food.

 

  1. Flippers and Flukes – Built for Swimming

Humpbacks have long pectoral fins – the largest of any whale – which help with turning, gliding and acrobatic manoeuvres.

The tail has two lobes known as flukes . Whales tails are horizontal and move up and down, unlike a fish’s tail (shown) which is vertical and moves from side to side.

Try it:
Flipper Paper Plane Challenge – Make paper “whales” with long and short fins and compare which glides further.

 

  1. Migration Behaviour – A Survival Strategy Humpback Whale Migration Map

Travelling thousands of kilometres ensures humpbacks can feed in Antarctica and breed in warm northern waters.

Try it:
Migration Map Tracking – Plot their journey on a large classroom map, noting resting spots, danger zones and feeding grounds. Bring it to life with a local focus.

Humpback Whale Migration Calendar

Where to see the Humpback Whales Migration on East Coast Australia

 

  1. Songs and Communication – Finding Each Other in the Deep

Male humpbacks sing complex songs that travel long distances underwater, helping them communicate during migration.

Try it:
Sound Wave Demo – Use tuning forks, water bowls or elastic bands to explore how sound travels differently through solids, liquids and air.

Wrap-Up: Bringing Science and the Ocean Together

Adaptation activities centred on humpback whales not only support learning in biological sciences but also build curiosity, empathy and environmental awareness. By exploring how these amazing animals survive and thrive, students gain a deeper appreciation of Australia’s ocean ecosystems – and the role humans play in protecting them.

If you’d like more hands-on ocean learning experiences, Ocean Life Education offers curriculum-aligned programs designed to inspire and engage.

More Humpback Whale Resources

Learn More About Humpback Whales with our online course

🧭 Local Learning Experiences

Take advantage of the humpback whale migration along the East Coast of Australia. From May to November, students may be able to see whales from shore or on a local eco-tour.

Consider planning:

🐳 A virtual whale-watching tour

🐳 An incursion with Ocean Life Education

🐳 A field trip/ excursion to a local coastal lookout

About Ocean Life Education Ocean Life Education

At Ocean Life Education, we’re all about helping Australians connect with the ocean and understand why it matters. Through engaging, hands-on learning experiences, we explore Australia’s diverse marine environments, the incredible creatures that live there, and the real-world challenges our oceans are facing.

Our interactive programs are curriculum-aligned and designed to make learning meaningful and memorable – whether it’s in the classroom, during an event, or through immersive field-based experiences. Every session is customised to suit your school or group, with an emphasis on local marine ecosystems, human impact, and conservation.

From up-close marine displays featuring real ocean animals to dynamic learning activities, our programs encourage curiosity, deepen understanding, and inspire students to take action. Above all, we aim to empower young people to value our oceans and feel confident about playing a role in protecting them for the future.

📚 Recommended Resources & Useful Links

Primary Incursions & Excursions

Primary Resources & Activities

Ocean Life Education’s Whale Resources

For more information about what we do, check out Ocean Life Education.

We hoped you enjoyed reading our blog: Humpback Whale Adaptations: Fun Learning Activities for Schools