Variety among sea stars

Sea stars come in more varieties than I realized. They are radially symmetrical, but not limited in terms of number of legs, coloration, or even patterning. Some have the anticipated 5-legs; others, myriad; and should a leg or two or more be in the process of rejuvenation, those legs could be various lengths or thicknesses. Such variety! And, such beauty. 

Joey and Ezra were enamored with sea creatures during a recent visit to Long Beach, California. On Leo Carrillo State Beach, the boys discovered a sea anemone and starfish in little tidal pools near where the waves splashed against large rocks. Aquarium of the Pacific proffered first-hand views of starfish suction-cupped to aquarium glass, as well as opportunities to touch the rough skin of these prismatic sea gems in touching stations.

So, when we returned home, the boys and I decided to further expand our knowledge of Pacific Ocean creatures, such as starfish, jellyfish, sea otters, etc. I pulled activities from children's magazines, puzzle books, and my own imagination to craft fun activities to enhance my sons' understanding of the amazing animals we find on Earth. Big Backyard, now known as Ranger Rick, Jr, a magazine with animal-related activities and information for children aged 4-7, contained "Mystery Animal?" starring the sea star in their June/July 2012 issue. Following the story, the magazine provided two activities: "Name Game," in which children could try to match a picture with a name, and "Sea Star Pretzels," which provided a recipe to create your sea star treats. Joey and Ezra experimented with pretzel designs and came up with some fabulous sea star shapes. The Dover Little Activity Books series gave inspiration for other activities in "Learning About Sea Animals" and "Sea Life Follow-the-Dots." The boys also traced star-shaped cookie cutters to create drawings of starfish, which they mailed as a thank-you to the Aquarium and as a notecard to a well-loved family member.

The ideas are endless, though, and can easily be tweaked and recreated for your own at-home lessons! Perhaps your children could design postcards, donning sea stars, to use throughout the year for family birthdays, anniversaries, or encouraging notes? Create an Under the Sea play, write a haiku, invent a new game incorporating sea creatures, incorporate habitat and research what it would be like for humans to live as starfish do (what would be the similarities and differences; how would mankind have to adapt?), etc. Take a moment and share what you might do with starfish as a learning unit.

What I like most about our sea creature lessons is that they remind me of what it is to be a teacher. Each child has a unique perspective to life. Just as the variety of starfish, so too is there great variety from child to child. But, it's more than skin deep. Looking at the dreams and interests harbored within each dear heart, a teacher cannot help but feel the weight of caringly orchestrating the education of the child. So, amid the chaos and energy, remember the delicate pearl that lies within each little one you teach.