Interactive Activities
Learn more about the Puget Sound's resident orca pod with our interactive orca family tree.
Activity sheets
Fun, printable worksheets to practice STEM skills and learn about the marine environment.
Do a maze and learn about warmer/cooler spots in the ocean
Do some math and learn about fur seal tagging
Learn about bird beaks, watch a video and test your knowledge about prey
Learn about giant Pacific octopuses and make one out of paper
Learn about octopus species around the world
Learn about the marine food web
Learn about rockfish and make one out of paper
Learn about sea urchins and make one out of clay
Make a Cartesian diver and learn about density
Search for hidden litter and learn about tide pools
Coloring sheets
Printable, black-and-white coloring sheets with interesting facts.
Black oystercatcher coloring sheet
Earth action week coloring sheet
Giant Pacific octopus coloring sheet
Marine animal mélange coloring sheet
Salmon life cycle coloring sheet
Diagrams
Learn about animal anatomy, conservation issues, scientific basics and more with easy-to-understand illustrations and photos.
Coral before and after bleaching
Scuba diver gear: warm water vs. cold water
Sea otter food consumption needs
Is It, Isn't It Activities and Cheat Sheets
Ever wondered how to tell similar animals apart, or how to define certain types of animals? Many of these informative sheets also offer quizzes to test your knowledge.
Crawling vs. walking seal cheat sheet
Crawling vs. walking seal activity sheet
Learn about crustaceans and test your knowledge
Learn about echinoderms and test your knowledge
Learn about jellyfish and test your knowledge
Learn about marine debris and test your knowledge
Is it or isn't it marine debris?
Learn about marine mammals and test your knowledge
Learn about how to protect ocean health and draw a picture with your idea
Learn about octopus relatives and test your knowledge
Test your math skills and learn about the sea otter census
Learn about tropical fish and test your knowledge
Download Wallpaper
Show your love for the ocean and make a splash with our marine-themed wallpapers, sized for a variety of devices.
Curlew (small laptop, 1024x768)
Curlew (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Oystercatcher (small laptop, 1024x768)
Oystercatcher (standard, 1280x1024)
Oystercatcher (widescreen, 1440x900)
Oystercatcher (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Puffin (small laptop, 1024x768)
Puffin (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Hermit crab (small laptop, 1024x768)
Hermit crab (standard, 1280x1024)
Hermit crab (widescreen, 1440x900)
Hermit crab (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Sculpin (small laptop, 1024x768)
Sculpin (widescreen, 1440x900)
Sculpin (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Sea cucumber (small laptop, 1024x768)
Sea cucumber (standard, 1280x1024)
Sea cucumber (widescreen, 1440x900)
Sea cucumber (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Sea urchin(small laptop, 1024x768)
Sea urchin (standard, 1280x1024)
Lesson plans
Age and grade guidelines below are recommendations. Many of these activities may be easily adapted for kids at any level. Watch this space for more activities in the coming weeks!
Grade 2 and up (ages 7+)
Web of Life
Grade 3 and up (ages 8+)
Counting Sea Stars
Grade 4 and up (ages 9+)
Build a Shell
Grade 9 and up (ages 14+)
Whale Food Pyramid
Sinking Slowly (easily adapted for younger learners)
If you have requests for activities or topics, contact us education@seattleaquarium.org.
Word search and codebreakers
Search for marine-themed words and practice math skills with these fun activities, great for elementary-school-aged kids.
Spot the differences
Compare two marine-themed illustrations and see if you can find the differences (answers at bottom). A fun activity for all ages.
Story time
Join us for marine-themed story time!
Short Stories
Check out the story, Underwater Music, published by Cricket magazine (for kids ages 9–14), written by Seattle Aquarium Ocean Policy Manager Nora Nickum and illustrated by Agnes Loonstra. You’ll learn about the different calls of the endangered orca pods, what you can do to help the orcas, and where to go to hear live sounds from the hydrophones!
Check out the story, Hugo and the Seal, published by Cricket magazine (for kids ages 9–14), in which a boy finds a seal pup at the beach and helps to protect it until its mother returns. This story was written by Seattle Aquarium Ocean Policy Manager Nora Nickum and illustrated by Becca Santo.
Narrated Stories
Read aloud: Catastrophe by the Sea by Brenda Peterson
Read aloud: Puffin Peter by Petr Horcek
Read aloud: Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures by Bonnie Worth
Read aloud: Lootas Little Wave Eater by Clare Meeker
Read aloud: Octavia and Her Purple Ink Cloud by Donna Rathmell and Doreen Rathmell and illustrated by Connie McLennan.
Read aloud: The Pout-Pout Fish Cleans Up the Ocean by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Dan Hanna.
Read aloud: A Little Otter's Busy, Complete Day by Roberta Brooks and illustrated by Lindsay Holladay Van Damme.
Flip through: A Little Otter's Busy, Complete Day by Roberta Brooks and illustrated by Lindsay Holladay Van Damme below.
Read aloud: The Salmon Twins by Caroll Simpson
Other games
A fun assortment of marine-themed activities for kids of all ages.