Sea Survival Stories - Sharks, Submarines and Ships Oh My!

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We love reading and hands on learning so of course I couldn't resist participating in another online book club. The last Thursday of every month I will be joining some of my Usborne friends in the Story Corner Blog Hop. Each month there will be a theme and I will share one of our favorite Usborne books and a hands on learning activity to go along with it.

Make sure you also follow my Usborne Facebook page where I share about literacy tips, book deals, giveaways, new arrivals, upcoming party information and more.  - Kathys Cluttered Book Nook.

Book:
This month's theme was beaches/oceans so the book I chose to share with you is called True Survival Stories. This book is part of the True Stories Collection which are great chapter books for children ages 9 years and older. True Survival Stories features 10 stories, 4 of which involve the ocean. From shark attacks and blazing airships to exploding spacecraft and sinking submarines, these are real stories of people who have stared death in the face and lived to tell the tale.  The book is a 100 page  paperback and costs just $4.99.

Be sure to also check out these other shark and ship resources from Usborne.

• A Shiver of Sharks
• Extreme Adventures - Shark
• Shark Excavation Kit
• Sharks Level 1 Reader
• Shark Fact Cards
• Sharks Lift-the-Flap
• Shark in the Park - Phonics Readers
• Warships
• Titanic
  

Craft:

We decided to do a shark craft to go along with this book.

Materials:

• 3 Paper Plates
• Wiggle Eyes
• Markers or Paint
• Glue

Instructions:

1. Fold the 1st paper plate in half, this is the body/jaws. Fold the 2nd paper plate in half then cut it in half to make the fin. Glue the pieces together in the middle.
2. Cut triangles out of the 3rd paper plate, these are the teeth. Also cut a large oval out of the 3rd paper place, then cut it in half to make the eyes. 
3. Color or paint all the pieces gray.
4. Glue the fin piece to the top of the 1st paper plate along with the eyes on each side of the fin. Glue wiggle eyes on the semi ovals. Glue the teeth around the opening on the 1st paper plate. 
5. Have fun with your shark puppet.

Free Resources:
Head over to Camp Google and check out all the resources from Ocean Week including a live dive with National Geographic Explorers. (The live dive is over but you can watch the recording and still complete the activities)

Story Corner

Each month we feature different themed books and corresponding activities! This month’s theme is summer so make sure you check out all the other posts from my blogger friends!

Treasure Island-Inspired Compass Treasure Hunt from Line Upon Line Learning
Free Ocean Matching Pack from Life Over at C's

Camp Google - 4 Weeks of FREE Fun Science Adventures #NGKinsider

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

I am about to leave for a a week long camp to become certified as an Outdoor Wildlife Leader along with my two friends. But I won't be the only one having fun....you and your children can experience a science camp from the comfort of your own sofa over the next 4 weeks. Khan Academy, National Geographic and NASA have joined forces with Google to bring you Camp Google. Camp Google is a 4 week online camp designed for children ages 7-10 years old. Each week will be filled with fun science activities and exploration.

Every Monday camp starts with a live adventure that you access right from the Camp Google site. Adventures include a dive into the Atlantic ocean, a hike up an active volcano and jamming with a music star. If you miss a week don't worry, camp activities will remain open and you can look back and relive the experiences at anytime.

National Geographic kicks off the fun on July 13th with Ocean Week. During Ocean Week children will go on a 1 hr live dive into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean with with National Geographic Explorers Erika Bergman and Sylvia Earle. The event will be staged from inside Baseline Explorer's Submarine 'Nemo' where Erika Bergman and Sylvia Earle will discuss marine biology, technology and then pilot an OpenROV pre-positioned several miles offshore and piloted through a wireless ethernet bridge.

Children will learn things like:

• What's at the bottom of the ocean floor?
• How are volcanoes formed?
• What do astronauts eat?
• Why does music make us want to bust a move?

All you need to participate is internet access and a few household items.

As children progress through camp activities they will earn cool badges....like these.

Google explains:

"To really dig into the answers, kids will complete hands on science projects led by experts - using supplies often already available at home - that encourage them to learn by doing, explore the real world and get a little messy. With every activity completed, kids collect special Camp Google badges and track the new skills they've learned along the way."

Watch this video to learn more:


I'd love to hear your thoughts on the camp after you attend some of the session!

Shark Week Resources (Mostly FREE)

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Shark Week starts tomorrow and before we head to the beach to celebrate I wanted to share a few resources with you. I am hoping we get lucky and see a real shark. Follow us on Instagram,  Facebook, Twitter and/or Google + to view photos and updates from our adventure!

The majority of these are FREE resources, if they are are not free I have included the current price.

Discovery Channel Shark Week website. View schedules, clips, videos, shark cams and grab FREE resources.

Printables:

• Shark Unit Study
• Hammerhead Shark Unit Study
• Shark Lapbook
• Free Shark Unit Study Printables
• Mini Shark Pack
• Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett Shark Unit Study ($5.00)
• Shark Notebooking Pages
• LEGO Shark Printable
• Geography Quest Shark Edition

Arts/Crafts

• Crayon Resist Art 
• Lots of Shark Craft Ideas
• 40+ Kids Activities for Shark Week

• Shark Chalk Pastel Art eBook ($5.99) here is also a FREE How to Draw a Great White Shark tutorial video
• Shark Coloring Pages
• Shark Coloring Pack

Books:

• Sharks: Kids book of fun facts & amazing pictures on animals in nature Kindle FREE
• Sharks: Amazing Pictures and Facts on Animals in Nature Kindle ($2.99)
• Sharks Discover Your World Series Kindle ($2.99)
• Amazing Sharks! (I Can Read Book 2) ($3.64)
• Hungry, Hungry Sharks ($3.61)
• National Geographic Kids Sharks! ($3.48)

• Shark DK Eyewitness ($13.23)
• Bull Shark ($22.18)
• Great White Sharks Up Close ($19.13)
• Shark Attack ($2.99)
• A Visual Introduction to Sharks, Skates and Rays ($13.80)

Media:

• Jonathan Bird's Blue World: Great White Sharks YouTube
• Megalodon Giant Shark YouTube
• Mermaid Dances With Sharks YouTube
• Sharks Of Lost Island YouTube
• Shark Week 1998-2012 Netflix

• Search for the Great Sharks Imax Netflix
• The Great White Odyssey Netflix
• Sharks Mediterranean Netflix
• Shark Superhighway Netflix
• Android App - Dolphins, Sharks & Turtles - Ocean Tales from Generation Nature, Empowered by SeaWorld Kids FREE

More Fun Stuff:

• Eyewitness Shark Casting Kit ($10.87) 
• Shark Dissection Kit ($60.90)

1. 

• Shark 4D Anatomy Model ($21.17)

Even More Ideas on Pinterest:

Beach and Ocean Unit Study - Poppins Book Nook July

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We are having lots of fun with the Poppins Book Nook blog series. This month's theme was BEACH/OCEAN. We used several books for this unt! Below you will find the books we have been using, videos we have been watching, resources we have used and crafts we have made.

Our first unit study for our new homeschool year which will be starting mid August is going to be be a seashell, ocean, beach theme. However since the theme this month for the Poppins Book Nook was beach/ocean we got started a little early with some fun crafty projects. Many of the other things below we will be utilizing next month.

Books:
We will be using all these books for our unit study. We only read 2 of them so far The Shell Book and the Eyewitness Seashore book.

Learning On The Road:
We have been to the beach twice this year and that is what sparked an interest to learn more about the beach and ocean. The kids learned about (yes we totally learned on vacation) and explored so many wonderful things on our two trips but they wanted to learn more so they recommended we do a unit study. Be sure to check out our trip to Panama City and Hunting Island State Park there are lots of great photos and a video of some jellyfish we played with.

Resources:
-My beach and ocean Pinterest board
-Homeschool Share Hello Ocean Lapbook check out these ideas too on Homeschool Share
-Seashells speedy lapbook on Currclick - $1.00
-Seashells! A Fun Study! on Currclick - $1.00
-Education.com beach worksheets and ocean worksheets
-Ocean notebooking pages
-Discovery Education Ocean Exploration lesson plans for various grade levels
-Ocean unit study with lots of great links
-New Bee Homeschool shares some fun resources and crafts
-Free notebooking pages for beach and ocean (must create free account)

Hands On Projects:We made two fun crafty projects this month to kick off our unit study. First we made anklets using the small shells we found on our beach trips.

Materials:-Clear stretchy cord
-Beads
-Seashells with small holes

What to do:This one is really simple just string beads and shells onto stretchy cord (tie a knot on one end so the beads and shells don't slide off. When you are done tie the ends together.

Next the kids painted some of the large white shells we found. These are going to be a decoration for the kids bathroom in the new house which is going to be beach themed.

Materials:
-Large white shells
-Paint
-Paintbrushes

What to do:
Another quick and simple project. Simply have the kids paint whatever they want on the shells. Then let them dry. My kids choose to paint sea creatures on theirs including a starfish, crab and dolphin.

YouTube Videos:
Check out these videos about the beach and ocean on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe more videos may be added next month when we start our unit study,

Here is a list of the wonderful bloggers participating in the Poppins Book Nook be sure to visit them for more fun Ocean/Beach themed ideas:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - Royal Baloo - 3 Dinosaurs - Monsters Ed - Chestnut Grove Academy - Growing in God's Grace - Royal Little Lambs - Life with Moore Babies - Teach Beside Me - The Usual Mayhem - Mum Central - Fantastic Fun and Learning - Kathys Cluttered Mind - Play Create Explore - Toddler Approved - Growing Book by Book - Adventures in Mommydom - B-Inspired Mama - The Fairy and The Frog - Edventures with Kids - Learning & Growing the Piwi way - A Gluten Free Journey - Mom to Crazy Monkeys - No Doubt Learning - Preschool Powol Packets - To The Moon and Back - Our Craft ~N~ Things - Farm Fresh Adventures - Proverbial Homemaker

Linking up with: Jay Daniel 4's Mom, Mama to 4 Blessings