So, what’s all this about? What is Ocean Literacy? Ocean literacy is an understanding of the ocean’s influence on you – and the influence that you have on the ocean.

When we understand the ocean we can begin to comprehend how its works, giving us the information we need to take measures to protect it. Education is at the heart of ocean literacy and this is where we as educators play a crucial role in inspiring people young and old to want to take action and make a difference, transforming ocean knowledge into action. Here’s our guide to teaching Ocean Literacy at schools…

Who Developed the Ocean Literacy Principles?

The Ocean Literacy Principles were developed in 2004 through an international community-wide consultation, with agreement with hundreds of scientists, educators and policy makers. The original purpose of the campaign was to address the lack of ocean related content in schools in the US.

The fundamental aim of the Ocean Literacy Principles is that every human being should understand basic principles about the ocean by the time they graduate high school, thus creating an ‘ocean-literate’ society.

What is the Goal of the Ocean Literacy Principles?

UNESCO has set the following goal for the 7 Ocean Literacy Principles as:

“Ocean Literacy is included in curriculum frameworks of all 193 UNESCO Member States by 2025”.

What are The Ocean Literacy Principles?

 The Ocean Literacy Principles are:

1. The Earth has one big ocean with many features
2. The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth
3. The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate
4. The ocean made the Earth habitable
5. The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems
6. The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected
7. The ocean is largely unexplored

What Does Being Ocean Literate Mean?

 Being Ocean Literate Means:

1. Understanding the essential principles and fundamental concepts about the ocean
2. Communicating about the ocean in a meaningful way
3. Being able to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources

Are Many Australians Ocean Literate?

Studies show many Australians are very concerned about the ocean, with ocean plastic being the biggest concern voiced, then overfishing and other human impacts. So a lot of good work is already being done to spread the message that we need to act now to preserve the ocean for the future. Many Australians are ocean literate but a lot more still has to be done as the ocean needs our help.

Teaching Ocean Literacy in Australia

The basic principles of ocean literacy do not fall within traditional science disciplines, they instead focus on integrated science. This is because of the interdisciplinary nature of ocean sciences.

As teachers, it is our responsibility to educate children (and adults) about the ocean in a meaningful way. This can be done under the standard school curriculum themes. Our free primary resources can help you get started, or why not book in an incursion so one of our expert marine educators can teach the children about the ocean using interaction with our live marine animals. Here are some great resources to assist with planning.

Ocean Life Education Programs & Resources

Ocean Literacy resources – Australia focused

UNESCO – Ocean Literacy Teachers Area

Marine Stewardship Council of Australia

World Ocean Day – Plan Your Event

Why is the Health of the Ocean So Important?

The ocean covers most of our planet, it regulates our climate and provides the air we breathe. It also feeds us, provides jobs and livelihoods and is a tool for economic development, as well as being fun to play in! We humans need a healthy ocean in order to survive. So, the health of the ocean is critically important to us.

Click image to download PDF.

Read our blog – 10 reasons why we depend on our ocean

Further resources

OceansIQ

Ocean and Climate Literacy – Essential principles and fundamental concepts

UNESCO – Ocean Literacy for All

The post Guide to Teaching Ocean Literacy in Australia appeared first on Ocean Life Education.

Australia’s SeaWeek is celebrated throughout the country at the beginning of March each year. The initiative aims to spotlight community awareness, inform, and foster an appreciation for the sea. This is a fascinating topic and a great basis for exploring all things relating to the ocean in schools and childcare settings. So, here is some background information plus 20 teaching activities for SeaWeek that will engage and inspire kids to want to learn more about and protect the ocean. Read on for our teaching activities for SeaWeek.

Why is the Ocean a Defining Feature of Our Planet?

The ocean is the defining physical feature on our planet Earth as it covers most of the earth’s surface – around 70% in fact.

It is also home to the majority of life on earth and responsible for around 70% of the oxygen we breath, as well as absorbtion of carbon dioxide, climate regulation, jobs, food, waste removal, , marine transport, medicine, travel, recreation and fun. We could go on…

Do we say Ocean or Oceans?

Many people ask the question, “Do we say ocean or oceans”?  The answer is that there is just one ocean, which contains many ocean basins, such as the North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic. So, we should say ‘the ocean’ rather than ‘the oceans’.

What is SeaWeek Australia?

SeaWeek Australia started in 1987 at the Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff, Victoria. It began as an art competition that was promoted in all states of Australia and was accompanied by an educational kit consisting of marine activities and information brochures. Today SeaWeek Australia is a major public awareness campaign focusing on encouraging an understanding of and appreciation for the ocean and all things related to it. The campaign is promoted by the Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) – see link below.

20 Teaching Activities for SeaWeek

Schools and educators can use SeaWeek Australia as a focal point for studies accross a wide range of curriculum themes. Or they can simply use the event to inspire children through fun based ocean themed activities. Here are 20 teaching activities for SeaWeek to get you started…

Early Learning Teaching Activities for SeaWeek Australia

1. Decorate your classroom or childcare setting
2. Read an ocean book like The Singing Mermaid or The Snail & the Whale by Julia Donaldson
3. Host an ocean themed coloring or drawing competition or SeaWeek Poster Competition
4. Colouring-in Competition
5. Create an ocean in an egg carton
6. Create an ocean sensory bin with ice
7. Make your own socktopus
8. Paint a puffer fish
9. Make egg carton ocean animals
10. Organise an ocean themed incursion – why not book one of our interactive Programs to give the kids a real hands-on experience of marine creatures with our lively team of animals!

Link to EARLY LEARNING RESOURCES

Primary School Teaching Activities for SeaWeek

1. Launch a Plastic- free class challenge – no plastic in lunch boxes for a day, then maybe extend to a week
2. Create a plastic diary
3. Plastic ocean cycle activity – using our free infographic
4. Organise a field trip to the beach to explore
5. Organize a beach clean (& BBQ?) with prizes
6. Habitat and adaptation activity
7. Classification activity
8. Organise an ocean themed incursion – why not book one of our interactive PROGRAMS to give the kids a real hands-on experience of marine creatures with our lively team of marine animals!
9. Teach students curriculum topics using our Humpbacks online teaching resources.
10. Fundraise for a local ocean focused charity – on the Sunshine Coast that could be: Coolum & North Shore Coast Care, Ocean Crusaders or Sea Shepherd.

Link to PRIMARY RESOURCES

Further reading

SeaWeek Official Website – packed with useful info and resources

UNESCO Ocean Literacy PORTAL

OCEAN EVENTS CALENDAR

BLOG – 10 REASONS WHY WE NEED OUR OCEAN

The post 20 Teaching Activities for SeaWeek appeared first on Ocean Life Education.

Is Most of the Ocean Unexplored?

Experts believe that more than 80 percent of the ocean floor is unexplored and has never been mapped. It’s crazy to think that a far larger percentage of the moon and the planet Mars has been mapped than the ocean on the planet where we live!

However, it’s probably not surprising when you consider that the ocean covers more than 70% of the surface of the earth. So, we are talking a huge area, with enormous variations in depth, much of which is very difficult to reach.

How Deep is the Ocean?

The depth of the ocean floor varies hugely, from the shallow blue waters of much of our coastline, to the darkness of the deep, deep ocean. So, to answer the question, “How deep is the ocean”, it’s tricky to give one answer. However, it’s generally agreed that the average depth of the ocean is 3.7 km.

What’s the Deepest Part of the Ocean?

Nowadays, we talk about the earth’s ‘one’ ocean as each named ocean (such as the Pacific Ocean) within it is connected to at least two other oceans, creating one whole ocean.

The deepest part of the ocean is in the Pacific Ocean. It is called Challenger Deep, after the HMS Challenger, whose crew first sounded (measured) the depths of the trench in 1875.

Challenger Deep lies at the southern end of the Mariana Trench and is around 10,984 metres deep. Compare that to Everest, which is 8,848 metres high, and it gives you an idea of the kind of depth we’re talking – about 11km. That’s deep!!!!

How do we Measure the Depth of the Ocean?

Measuring the depth of a body of water is called ‘sounding‘ or ‘sounding depth’. In order to measure the depth of the ocean, ships and boats use a sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) device, which sends sound waves to the bottom of the ocean and measures how long it takes for an echo to return.

We hope we have given you some ideas to get you thinking about celebrating SeaWeek 2022. Please see our blog and links below for more info.

Celebrating SeaWeek 2022

Read our BLOG ‘Celebrate SeaWeek Australia’, for ideas to celebrate SeaWeek 2022 and inspire kids to want to learn more about the ocean and to want to protect it

Free SeaWeek 2022 Poster

Other Ocean Events 2022

SeaWeek 2022 is hosted by the AAEE (Australian Association for Environmental Education). If you are planning to run a SeaWeek event, competition, or activity, they’d love to promote it! Email: seaweek@aaee.org.au for more information.

The post Dive into SeaWeek 2022 appeared first on Ocean Life Education.

We think so! We hear so many negative stories about sharks in the media but what role do they actually play in the ocean and why are they important to us?

The fact is that sharks are a crucial part of the food chain and help keep the oceans, planet (and us), healthy… and their numbers are dwindling fast.

Read on to discover why we need sharks and why we need to take action to protect these misunderstood creatures…

Sharks Get a Bad Press 

Many people fear sharks because of sensationalised stories in the media and scary films like Jaws.

The fact is that 100 million sharks are killed by humans each year and sharks kill around 12 humans a year.

So, maybe sharks should be scared of us, not the other way around?

Learn the Facts About Sharks

We need to take time to learn the facts about sharks and why they are so important to us and our world, so that we can help protect them. So, we have developed a range of FREE shark resources and an online Amazing Sharks Course aimed at dispelling the myths and promoting the facts about these misunderstood creatures.

Here are some REAL FACTS about Sharks…

Sharks Help Create a Healthy Ecosystem

Sharks are APEX predators, which means they sit at the top of the food chain and help control the numbers of animals below them in that food chain. By controlling populations of large and mid-sized predators, sharks allow smaller fish to thrive, which has a knock on effect on the food chain below them. Therefore, sharks help create a healthy ecosystem with a diverse range of species and competitors.

Sharks Are a Keystone Species

Apex predators like sharks are known as keystone species. This means that they are crucially important. If you take sharks out of the food chain, the whole structure could collapse.

Sharks & Natural Selection

Sharks play an important role in natural selection because they prey on and remove weak and sick animals. This reduces the chances of them reproducing and helps keep fish populations healthy and strong.

Sharks & Habitat Loss

Sharks help prevent habitat loss. Habitats like coral reef depend on their fishy caretakers, like the little reef fish that live on them and clean and protect them from disease. Without sharks controlling numbers of big fish in a marine ecosystem, the numbers of these fish could explode. They would in turn kill off the smaller fish. If that happens, the reef would become diseased and die off, affecting millions of animals that depend on it for survival.

Everything On Earth is Connected

The earth’s ocean produces 70 % of the oxygen we breath, food to eat, controls the climate, breaks down pollution, provides us with medicine and much, much more.

Humans are part of our amazing planet’s ecosystem. So, it is in our best interest to protect our home environment and everything within it…including sharks.

Want to Know more?

Watch our video: Why We Need Sharks

Read Our Blog: How to Engage Kids with Sharks

How You Can Help Protect Sharks

• Get educated about sharks – why not start with our FREE RESOURCES and Amazing Sharks Course 
• Share positive shark facts with friends and on social media
• Reduce your fish consumption & don’t buy fish marked ‘flake’ – it’s shark
• Join a shark conservation organisation – Sea Shepherd – Sharks & Rays of Australia  –  Marine Conservation Australia

Check out Ocean Life Education’s other blogs:

How to Inspire Kids to Protect the Ocean

Reasons Why We Depend on Our Oceans

How Can I Protect the Ocean

Check out the latest film ‘Shark Cull’ for some interesting views about shark safety programs off Australia’s East Coast 

The post Should We Protect Sharks? appeared first on Ocean Life Education.

“Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and motivate a sense of responsibility to safeguard it”,

Sir David Attenborough.

Ocean Life Education’s Director of Education, Richard Coward, is a firm believer that education is the key to protecting the ocean. So, Richard has spent the past 14 years visiting schools, early learning centres and community events, passionately educating and inspiring young minds to feel a responsibility to protect the our seas.

“Our goal is to educate Australians about how our lives are interconnected with our oceans and to inspire them to feel a responsibility to take action to protect them”, Richard Coward, Director of Education, Ocean Life Education.

A Passion for Protecting the Ocean

Ocean Life Education was set up in 2006 by Director of Education and Marine Biologist, Richard Coward. Richard studied Marine Ecology at Queensland’s Griffith University and commenced his career running Sunshine Coast’s Underwater World education programs and was later promoted to Curator of Fishes.

Richard went on to work on the creation of a new aquarium in South Korea. Whilst diving in the ocean, he was astonished by the complete lack of marine life. This was the first time he had experienced first-hand the devastating consequences of human impact caused by over-fishing. This education inspired him to take action. Richard saw this as a wakeup call and was determined this was not going to be allowed to happen in Australia. Thus, his passion for protecting the ocean was born.

Richard’s career went off down many paths: managing exhibits in aquariums worldwide and working with sharks, seals, penguins, turtles, sea jellies, fish, octopus, and invertebrates, to name a few.  He has been involved in research projects and breeding programs as well as whale rescue and his knowledge has frequently been reported on television, including a whole feature on the Totally Wild television show. Throughout all this, promoting conservation has always been at the heart of what he does.

Taking the Ocean into the Classroom

Richard soon realised that educating future generations was the key to them understanding why the ocean is so important to us and inspiring them to take action to protect it. “You protect what you love”, he quotes.

But many children were unable to get to the ocean or even to an aquarium to experience ocean life first-hand, so the idea of taking the ocean to the classroom was hatched and Ocean Life Education was born.

Our Programs & Marine Educators

Since 2006, Ocean Life Education has promoted the protection of our oceans to hundreds and thousands of Australians throughout Queensland and New South Wales. Our aim is to bring the sea to the community or classroom.  Marine educators arrive with live marine animals, fascinating artefacts, games and resources and students get a hands-on experience interacting with the animals. They hopefully finish off knowledgeable and inspired to want to protect the ocean and passionate to tell their friends and families why they should do the same.

Our Programs

Early Learning – Ocean Discovery Program https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/early-learning/

Primary – Curriculum based and tailored themes and activities https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/primary-schools/

Holiday Programs (OSHC) – Human Impact, Sharks, Weird & Wonderful https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/holiday-program/

High School – Curriculum based and tailored themes and activities https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/high-school/

Events – live marine displays, beach walks, lectures, workshops (tailored to requirement) https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/programs/events/

Further reading

For more information about what we can all do to protect the ocean, check out our blog:

https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/how-can-i-protect-the-ocean/

Hope to see you soon!

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What is SeaWeek Australia?

SeaWeek Australia is an annual celebration of the sea. It is a major public awareness campaign which aims to educate and encourage appreciation of the sea. For us at Ocean Life Education, SeaWeek Australia is the busiest time of the year and a great opportunity to further increase school and community focus on the deeply woven relationship we have with our majestic ocean and how our survival is underpinned by the health of our oceans.

Check out the foot of our blog for ideas of how you can celebrate SeaWeek.

SeaWeek 2022, 5-13 March

This year’s theme is: Our SEArch – what will you discover? It’s based around the fact that the Ocean is largely unexplored.

Our oceans support most life on earth. As over 70% of the Earth’s surface is underwater, it comes as no surprise that marine species outnumber those on land – an incredible 94 per cent of the Earth’s living species exist within the oceans.

Being an enormous island, Australia has one of the largest ocean territories in the world. Australian Oceans support an immense diversity of life and ecosystems. From the warm waters of tropical Queensland, to the cool Tasman Sea, a staggering range of animals, plants and other life forms call our oceans their home.

And it is not just marine life that is supported by the ocean, we humans depend on our oceans too! On average, we each consume around 25 kilograms of seafood every year, so we rely on it for our food and for economic benefit and jobs. If that’s not enough, we also rely on the ocean for: oxygen, carbon dioxide absorption, climate regulation, breakdown and removal of waste, marine transportation, medicine, tourism, recreation, and fun. The list goes on!

Check out our Blog  ‘Ten Reasons Why We Depend on Our Oceans’ for more details.

When is SeaWeek Australia 2022?

SeaWeek Australia 2022 is planned for 5-13 March 2022.

How Can Schools Celebrate Seaweek 2022?

We have lots of ideas for School events and activities to help schools celebrate SeaWeek 2012 in may ways. We are increasing our website resources all the time, so keep checking our Primary and Resources pages. Or why not book one of our interactive Programs to give the kids a real hands-on experience of marine creatures!

Here are some great ideas to get you started…

*Decorate your classroom or childcare setting
*Plastic free class challenge – no plastic in lunch boxes for a day/ week
*Record class plastic usage for a day – pledge to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle
*Book an ocean-focused incursion or excursion
*Organize a beach clean (& BBQ?) or visit a local beach

*Host an ocean themed coloring or drawing competition
*Fundraise to support a local coast care charity e.g. Coolum Coast Care, Ocean Crusaders, Sea Shepherd

 SeaWeek 2022 is hosted by the AAEE (Australian Association for Environmental Education). If you are planning to run a SeaWeek event, competition, or activity, they’d love to promote it! Email: seaweek@aaee.org.au for more information.

Ocean Life Education

Ocean Life Education is dedicated to promoting the preservation of our marine environment to communities and schools.  We spend SeaWeek Australia visiting Early Learning Centres and Schools and hosting events throughout Queensland and NSW. Our programs are delivered by qualified Marine Educators with a passion for the ocean. They provide a lively, fun, and interactive experience with our live marine animals. We believe education is the key to inspiring schools and community to protect our oceans.

To join our community of Ocean Legends and become part of the solution, follow us:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OceanLifeEducation/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ocean_life_education/

The post How to Celebrate SeaWeek Australia appeared first on Ocean Life Education.

“Our actions over the next 10 years will determine the state of the ocean for the next 10,000 years.” Dr.Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist & Conservationist

How you can take action to protect the ocean locally and internationally…

Local action to protect the ocean

• Reduce your use of plastics: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle
• Reduce your carbon footprint and energy consumption: use public transport and turn off unnecessary appliances
• Make sustainable seafood choices: check the label – is it ocean friendly?
• Help take care of the beach: volunteer with an organisation such as Coolum Coast Care or simply pick up debris as you walk
• Travel the ocean responsibly: be mindful of wildlife and never throw anything overboard
• Campaign for change: support local campaign groups such as Coolum Coast Care and Great Barrier Reef Foundation to protect and rebuild marine areas
• Educate yourself and your friends about oceans and marine life: the more you know, the more you’ll want to help ensure the health of the ocean – then share that knowledge to educate and inspire others.

Check out our program Marine Biologist for a Day 

The post How Can I Protect the Ocean? appeared first on Ocean Life Education.

Ocean Life Education is encouraging local households, businesses and schools to accept the Plastic Free July Challenge. The challenge is quiet simple: attempt to consume no single-use plastic during July.

Single-use plastic is anything that is intended to be used once then thrown away. If all single-use plastic sounds a bit daunting, just try the “big four” single-use plastic items are plastic bags, plastic cups, plastic straws and plastic containers.

“Single use plastic is one of the most concerning issues facing our oceans and its inhabitants and it won’t go away by itself. Join us in reducing and ridding single use plastic from our every day use to protect the future of our ocean animals – and us.”

Read more about the problem with plastics in our oceans.

Will you accept the challenge?

Plastic free July is a fun challenge that gets us thinking about the amount of plastic packaging in our lives.

Why participate?

• Australians send 1 million tonnes of plastic to landfill each year. And too much plastic ends up as litter.
• Chemicals in plastics can have harmful effects on our health.
• You’re not alone! Join the PFJ network and join us at events, workshops and online discussion forums.

The Challenge

• Attempt to consume no single-use plastic during July.
• Collect any plastic packaging you do buy. Keep it in a ‘dilemma bag’.

Choose your challenge and Register!

People can register for the challenge; and share their experiences, ideas and tips at www.plasticfreejuly.org.

Deplastify your life

Use this plastic detox mind map for ideas on how to deplastify your life!

Plastic Free July started as a local initiative in Perth, Western Australia and has grown into a global initiative.

If you’re interested in this topic and would like us to host a workshop for your students or early learners, check out our programs.

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