Science @ Home: California Coast (Ages 4-8)
Don’t unpack that beach bag—we’re heading back to the California coast! Enjoy another week of hands-on, multimedia activities for kids ages 4-8.
The California coast is a recreational paradise for humans—and a critically important habitat for unique plants and animals. Introduce your youngest beachcombers to captivating coastal creatures like sea otters, sand dollars, and octopuses through coloring, crafting…and a little bit of light cooking.
Please note: While Science @ Home activities are designed to be conducted by kids, some little ones might need adult help with reading instructions and preparing crafts.
Day 1: Sky and surf
All kinds of fascinating animals swim, scuttle, and soar where water, sand, and sky meet. Make a splash with octopuses, pelicans, gulls, and more! (60-90 minutes)
California coast critter circle (craft)
The California coast with octopus (video)
California brown pelican skull (specimen)
Take a look at this specimen of a California brown pelican skull, part of the Academy’s natural history collection. Use your cursor to examine the skull by moving it and zooming in.
As you explore and investigate the skull, think about the following questions. Share your answers with a friend or family member or just think in your head.
- What do you notice about the skull? Does it remind you of anything?
- What could the different holes and openings in the skull be for? Can you find where the eyes might have been? The nostrils?
- Can you see any teeth in the skull? If yes, how do you think the pelican uses them? If not, why do you think the pelican doesn’t need them? Look at the empty space in the middle of the bottom jaw. What do you think went there when the pelican was alive?
Listen to guiding questions
Paper plate gull (craft)
Day 2: Tidepools
Only the strong survive in California's coastal tidepools. Meet some of the extraordinary animals that live in these rough and rocky habitats. (45 minutes)
Creatures of the tidepool (coloring)
California tidepools are brimming with life, both above and below water. Color in the animals and environment to make your own eye-catching tidepool!
Listen to instructions
Download coloring page
Escucha las instrucciones
Descargar página para colorear
Sand dollars, sea stars, and urchins (video)
Octopus crown (craft)
Day 3: Kelp forest friends
Kelp is a habitat—and a snack! Explore California's undersea kelp forest ecosystem and frolic with the cute creatures that depend on this important plant. (60 minutes)
Color and cut kelp forest (coloring)
Kelp forests are home to many different animals, large and small. These animals make up the consumers of an intricate food web. Plants like kelp and phytoplankton are the foundation of this food web, turning the Sun’s energy into food for themselves and the animals that eat them. To learn more about this fascinating food web, watch this video.
Listen to instructions
Download coloring page
Escucha las instrucciones
Descargar página para colorear
Sea urchin and sea otter craft (craft)
Seaweed salad snack (activity)
Day 4: Seashells
Lots of coastal creatures live in mobile homes—their shells! Get an inside look at the lives of shell-dwelling animals, including snails, scallops, and hermit crabs. (45 minutes)
Shells: Art, armor, abode (video)
Egg carton hermit crab (craft)
While most crabs have hard exoskeletons to protect themselves from predators, hermit crabs have soft, curled abdomens. To keep their soft body safe, hermit crabs rely on hollow objects, like empty snail shells, for shelter. Build a home for a hermit crab with an egg carton, cotton ball, and your imagination!
Listen to instructions
Download instructions
Escucha las instrucciones
Descargar instrucciones
My special scallop (craft)
When you think of seashells, one of the first shapes that comes to mind might be a scallop. Scallops are a type of animal called a mollusc, and are related to clams, mussels, and oysters. The two halves of a scallop’s shell are hinged together, allowing them to use their muscle to snap the top and bottom shells open and shut, propelling themselves through the water. Create your own colorful scallop shell out of paper plates.
Listen to instructions
Kid and caregiver extension activities
Not ready to say goodbye to the beach? We don't blame you! Extend your investigation of the California coast with these videos and resources.
Spiky sight (video)
Sea urchin teeth (resource)
Mystery on the reef: Wolf eel (video)
The Academy's community science team encountered a rare find during a tidepool survey: the speckled head of a wolf eel with mysterious bright, pink teeth. Follow the team as they search for clues in the Academy’s research collection.
As you watch the video, think about the following questions. Share your answers with a friend or family member or just think in your head.
- Have you ever eaten something that turned your teeth, lips, or tongue a different color?
- What do you think might have caused the wolf eel’s teeth to turn pink?
- Imagine you are one of the scientists trying to find out why the wolf eel has pink teeth. What would you do to learn more to try to solve the mystery?
Listen to guiding questions