Coral Reefs Activity Guide
Activity - Classroom
GradesK, 1, 2Science, Visual and Performing Arts
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by The Nature Conservancy
What it is
- This activity guide invites young learners to explore coral reefs through three hands-on activities.
- Children build a reef diorama from paper, paint, and recycled materials; perform yoga poses inspired by marine life; and move through an obstacle course while pretending to be a fish swimming through a reef.
Teaching tips
Classroom Implementation:
- Show students images of what coral reefs look like so they have an initial understanding before jumping into the activities.
- The Coral Reef Yoga and Obstacle Course activities involve physical movement and work well as active brain breaks or in an open space, while the Diorama Crafting activity is a quieter individual project.
- Extend the diorama activity by having children name and research the reef animals they include, connecting creative play to early life science learning about habitats.
Related Resources:
- Use this lesson plan to dive into the impacts of human activities on coral reefs and what we can do about it during the diorama activity.
- Have students view and identify coral reefs from pictures using this ocean images bank.
From the scientist review
This guide lists three classroom activities to engage students with coral reefs. No serious science content is presented, but this resource could accompany learning about coral reefs. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Ready to use it?
Hosted on nature.org
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
