Splash and Bubbles: Get Your Feet Wet

What ocean superpower would you like to have? Kids at the Newport Aquarium try “The Power of Archerfish,” a funny little fish who spit jets of water at its prey, and “The Power of Shark Ray,” a unique fish who can sense electricity with its face. The ocean is full of amazing creatures with superpowers. Shark Ray! Archerfish! Unite!

Does an octopus have any bones? No! Sing along with a catchy octopus song as you watch an octopus squeeze through the opening of a tiny bottle. Also take a close look at an octopus squeezing into tight places on a coral reef and marvel at this squishy animal’s tentacles.

Is a moray eel a fish? Yes! This music video highlights the incredible diversity of fish on coral reefs, like frogfish (with a fishing pole on its nose), lionfish (with venomous fins), mandarin dragonet, prickly little pipefish (who looks just like a floating plant), garden eels (peeking out from holes in the sand), lionfish and more.

What does it feel like to swim in the ocean? Meet six-year-old Judy, who loves to snorkel and swim around green sea turtles, manta rays and other underwater creatures near her home in Kona, Hawaii.

Are all sharks scary? You might know about big sharks like the great white shark, but did you know most sharks are small? Kids at the Newport Aquarium get to touch little sharks, from pajama sharks to leopard sharks to cat sharks to horn sharks. Take a close look at these incredible fish, whose skin feels like sandpaper.

What does an oyster eat? Visit a third grade classroom in Oregon that does a fascinating experiment with oysters. If you put oysters in a tank of dirty water, what happens to the water? It gets clean!

How do the tides work? Sing and dance with this super fun song about the tides and animals that live in tide pools. It takes six hours for the tide to rise, another six hours for the tide to fall, another six hours for the tide to rise! That’s the rhythm of the ocean for one and all! Take a close look at goatfish and anemones, who have to deal with the water changing around them.

How do we get white sand on beautiful white sandy beaches? You might be surprised to learn that a lot of white sand is actually…parrotfish poop. Sing along to a catchy song that shows this colorful fish swimming along the coral reefs, eating coral and pooping out sand. Thank you parrotfish for pooping out sandy beaches!

Were there animals in the ocean before dinosaurs? Yes! Horseshoe crabs are one of the oldest kinds of animals on the planet, with awesome round shells and long tails. Take a close look at these living fossils.

What’s the biggest fish in the ocean? It’s a whale shark! But just how big is it? Kids from the Sanibel Sea School build a life-sized whale shark sand sculpture on the beach and see how many people can fit next to it. Plus, you’ll see this peaceful shark swimming in the ocean, eating tiny animals in the water called plankton. The biggest shark in the ocean is a filter feeder that eats tiny things.

Could you be an ocean explorer? Yes! This short video features catchy songs about Sylvia Earle (National Geographic Explorer and first woman to walk on the bottom of the ocean over 1000 feet deep) and six year-old Judy (who loves to snorkel) to highlight the absolutely incredible kinds of animals in the ocean, from whales to seals to manatees to octopus to schools of fish.

What lives in the deep, dark ocean? Take a look at an isopod, a giant roly poly looking animal that seems like an alien, but is actually one of the awesome creatures that lives down, down deep in the sea. Find out just how big a giant isopod can be! Would you be brave enough to touch one?

Do animals in the ocean take baths? Sing along while animals visit underwater cleaning stations, where little fish and shrimp clean their shells, mouths and scales! Moray eels have their mouths cleaned by little shrimp, turtles have their shells cleaned by fish and more!

What lives in the sand? Take a closer look at the awesome ocean animals who live in mud, dirt and sand. Watch fiddler crabs, snails, clams, rays and more.

What does it feel like to live in a kelp forest? Kids turn their classroom into a kelp forest, with (crafted) kelp hanging from the ceiling, garibaldi swimming through the kelp, otters floating in the kelp and more.

Why are stingrays flat? This catchy song shows stingrays hiding in the sand, swimming in the water and showing off their flat bodies.

How can you keep the ocean clean? Why does it matter if a plastic bag gets into the ocean? Kids at the Sanibel Sea School head out to the local grocery store to hand out reusable bags to stop plastic pollution.

Even an inland pond is connected to the ocean! Meet the freshwater animals that depend on the ocean, because evaporation from the ocean creates rain, which fills their pond with water. See ducks, frogs, salamanders, raccoons and more.

What does it feel like to visit the ocean for the first time? The Sanibel Sea School takes kids from their classroom to the ocean, where they can overcome their fears and actually get in the ocean, play in the waves and look at fish!

Where are baby sea turtles born? This song follows baby loggerhead turtles who are born on the beach, crawl to the ocean, and then swim out to find patches of seaweed to hide in, and eventually return to the beach where they were born to lay eggs. See a mother sea turtle lay her eggs, on the same beach where she was born.