Oooh, this month’s theme is cephalopods! I’m always amazed but the things octopuses and squids can do—escape aquariums, camouflage in an instant, mesmerize predators with flashing colors, and so much more. I even read that octopuses can sometimes grow a ninth arm when they are injured!
There’s so much to amaze kids too. And while they are not in the classroom right now, here are some activities to get kids thinking about cephalopods and learning more about them!
Ink! 100 FUN Facts about Octopuses, Squid, and More by Stephanie Warren Drimmer
You can’t go wrong with National Geographic. This very visual book introduces readers to a variety of squids including cuttlefish that camouflage themselves and octopuses that outsmart their predators. The text is written by experts with first hand experience and includes many fun facts. It’s both educational and entertaining.
Activity: Octopuses and squid are a lot alike in many ways, but they do have some key differences. Use the facts found in this fascinating book to create a game to test players’ knowledge of these different kinds of cephalopods. Use index cards and write a fact on one side. Or print a picture or draw a diagram of a squid or octopus body part. Take turns guessing if the fact or image is that of an octopus or cephalopod. Whomever gets the most correct wins the game!
Amazing Octopus: Creature from an Unknown World, written by Michael Stavaric, illustrated by Michele Ganswer
This book takes a unique approach. It explores and views octopuses as otherworldly, almost as aliens. The text and original, black and white illustrations really capture the magic and mystery of these creatures. It introduces this topic by first talking about the evolution of all sea creatures, to provide context.
Activity: What if octopuses DID come from another world? What would that world look like? What would an octopus spaceship look like? Imagine that world and make a list of details about it (their homes, their favorite places to eat, their communities). Imagine their spacecraft, too. How different would it be from our spacecraft? Then make a short comic about these alien octopus astronauts traveling to Earth long ago. Use some free comic panel templates. You can find some here:
- Canva comic strips
- The Kitchen Table Classroom: Comic Book Templates – Free Printable Pages
- Picklebums: Free Printable Comic Book Templates!
- There are also different apps you can use to create comics! Pixton, Canva, Storyboard That!
Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster by Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F. E. Roper
Part science textbook, part detective story, this Smithsonian book recounts biologist Clyde Roper’s search for a real-life sea monster. Readers will enjoy unearthing clues about the giant squid as they follow along with Roper’s ocean adventures. Cerullo’s text is full of facts and accompanied by a variety of eye-catching images, including both black-and-white illustrations and up-close photographs.
Activity: It’s not easy studying sea creatures and scientists have to be creative with how they study them. One method is to use a Crittercam, a camera described in this book. The scientists used a Crittercam on a sperm whale to try to capture the elusive giant squid on camera. Watch a few videos showing how this is done. It takes many steps and tries to complete successfully. Then write a step-by-step process for attaching a Crittercam to a sperm whale. This is a a good exercise in describing a process in a simple way when writing about a topic. Include diagrams if you’d like and share it with a friend. Ask: Does this make sense? Do you think I left a step out? What is confusing?
Here are some videos to watch:
- BBC Earth: Behind the Scenes of Sperm Whale Cam
- NBC: Deploying a Camera onto a Sperm Whale
- Sperm whales camera tagging by Florida International University
Karen Latchana Kenney is a children’s author and editor who loves creating all kinds of STEM books and classroom content. Find her at https://www.karenlatchanakenney.com/.
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