Science // Area
Ocean Life
Age coverage
Ages 5 to 14
Starts at age 5 // 7 topics
Starting at age 5
Your child is discovering ocean life — learning about the amazing variety of sea creatures, how they depend on each other for food, and exploring special ocean habitats like rock pools and coral reefs.
- What Is the Ocean?
Know that oceans are huge bodies of salt water that cover most of Earth's surface, and that the ocean is home to an enormous number of living things
Ages 5 to 7Concept - What Ocean Animals Need
Understand that ocean animals need food, shelter, and the right conditions to survive — just like land animals — and that different parts of the ocean provide…
Ages 5 to 7Concept - Ocean Animal Variety
Recognise that the ocean is home to an amazing variety of animals — from tiny seahorses and colourful clownfish to enormous whales and sharks — and that ocean…
Ages 5 to 7Concept - Ocean Food Chains
Describe a simple ocean food chain: tiny plants (phytoplankton) are eaten by small animals, which are eaten by bigger fish, which are eaten by top predators…
Ages 5 to 7Concept - Whales & Dolphins Are Mammals
Know that whales and dolphins are mammals, not fish — they breathe air, are warm-blooded, and feed their babies milk — even though they live in the ocean
Ages 5 to 7Concept - Coasts & Beaches
Know what a coast or beach is — the place where land meets the ocean — and that different coasts can be sandy, rocky, or muddy, each with different plants and…
Ages 5 to 7Concept - Rock Pool Habitats
Explore rock pools (tide pools) as small ocean habitats where crabs, anemones, starfish, and small fish can be found, and understand that these creatures are…
Ages 5 to 7Concept
Starts at age 7 // 8 topics
Starting at age 7
Your child is diving deeper into ocean science — learning how sea creatures are classified, understanding complex ocean food webs, and exploring the different zones and features of our vast oceans.
- Classifying Ocean Animals
Classify ocean animals into major groups: fish (breathe through gills, have scales), marine mammals (breathe air, warm-blooded, feed milk), and invertebrates…
Ages 7 to 9Concept - Ocean Food Webs
Understand ocean food webs: multiple interconnected food chains where energy flows from phytoplankton (producers) through zooplankton, small fish, and large…
Ages 7 to 9Concept - Ocean Depth Zones
Understand that the ocean has different zones depending on depth and light: the sunlight zone near the surface where most life lives, the twilight zone where…
Ages 7 to 9Concept - The Five Oceans
Name and locate the five oceans — Pacific (largest), Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic (smallest and coldest) — on a world map, and understand that they…
Ages 7 to 9Concept - Ocean Animal Adaptations
Understand that ocean animals have special adaptations for their environment: streamlined bodies for fast swimming, camouflage to hide from predators, blubber…
Ages 7 to 9Concept - Tides, Waves & Currents
Know that the ocean has tides (water level rises and falls twice a day, caused mainly by the Moon's gravity), waves (caused by wind), and currents (rivers of…
Ages 7 to 9Concept - The Ocean Floor
Know that the ocean floor is not flat — it has mountains, valleys, and the deepest trenches on Earth — and that the deepest point is the Mariana Trench, deeper…
Ages 7 to 9Concept - Coral Reefs
Know that coral reefs are built by tiny living animals called coral polyps, that reefs are home to more species than almost any other ocean habitat, and that…
Ages 7 to 9Concept
Starts at age 9 // 7 topics
Starting at age 9
Your child is diving into ocean science — learning about marine ecosystems, animal migrations, how human activities affect the ocean, and the vital role oceans play in Earth's climate.
- Oceans & Climate
Understand the connection between the ocean and climate: the ocean absorbs heat and carbon dioxide, drives weather patterns through evaporation, and ocean…
Ages 9 to 11Concept - Ocean Ecosystems
Understand ocean ecosystems as interconnected systems where living things (producers, consumers, decomposers) and non-living factors (temperature, salinity…
Ages 9 to 11Concept - Protecting the Ocean
Understand how people protect the ocean: marine protected areas limit fishing and pollution, sustainable fishing prevents overharvesting, beach clean-ups reduce…
Ages 9 to 11Concept - Ocean Pollution & Harm
Identify ways humans harm the ocean — plastic pollution, overfishing, oil spills, and ocean acidification from carbon dioxide — and understand that most ocean…
Ages 9 to 11Concept - Ocean Animal Migrations
Know that many ocean animals undertake remarkable migrations — humpback whales travel thousands of miles between feeding and breeding grounds, sea turtles…
Ages 9 to 11Concept - Deep-Sea Creatures
Explore life in the deep sea: animals that make their own light (bioluminescence), creatures adapted to crushing pressure and total darkness, and hydrothermal…
Ages 9 to 11Concept - Exploring the Ocean
Know that oceanographers and marine biologists study the ocean using submarines, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), satellites, and diving, and that much of the…
Ages 9 to 11Thinking skill
Starts at age 11 // 2 topics
Starting at age 11
- Ocean Currents and Global Heat
Explain thermohaline circulation (the global conveyor belt) as driven by temperature and salinity differences that cause dense water to sink; describe how the…
Ages 11 to 12Concept - Deep-Sea Life Without Sunlight
Contrast photosynthesis (energy from sunlight) with chemosynthesis (energy from oxidising chemicals like hydrogen sulphide); describe hydrothermal vent…
Ages 11 to 13Concept
Starts at age 12 // 2 topics
Starting at age 12
- Coral Bleaching & Acidification
Explain the mutualistic symbiosis between coral polyps and photosynthetic zooxanthellae; describe how heat stress causes bleaching (corals expel zooxanthellae…
Ages 12 to 13Concept - Predator Loss and Ecosystem Effects
Quantify energy transfer efficiency through trophic levels (~10% rule); explain trophic cascades: how removing an apex predator triggers a chain of ecosystem…
Ages 12 to 14Concept
Starts at age 13 // 1 topic
Starting at age 13
- Deep-Ocean Exploration Technology
Explain how crewed submersibles (Alvin, Deepsea Challenger) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) allow exploration of the deep; describe acoustic seafloor…
Ages 13 to 14Concept