Tag Archives: The Brillian Deep

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