A program of the Lawrence Hall of Science that seeks to increase ocean literacy through informal and formal education initiatives
Marine Activities, Resources & Education

Useful Web Links

A-B-Sea Foundation, Inc.

A-B-Sea Foundation, Inc. is an inspirational body for students investigating answers to how the world works and for teachers looking for scientific teaching techniques that utilize local resources. A-B-Sea provides a link between students' knowledge of local science and the global science community, regardless of geographic or cultural boundaries.

Awesome Animal Online Videos

Still Hope Productions has a wonderful collection of underwater video that students can watch ONLINE! Just click on their stock footage to get great video of squid, barnacles, tubeworms, critters in eelgrass, spawning behavior and more.

Best photos in Fish Base

This is a great place to find amazing and diverse fish photos.

Biomes of the World

This website provides a kid friendly overview of several different marine and fresh water habitats. There is information on organisms living within the habitat as well as special features that define the habitat.

Careers in Oceanography, Marine Science & Marine Biology

This is a comprehensive listing of links to resources for students interested in careers in marine biology, oceanography, museum and aquarium work, and environmental programs.

Deep Sea Images

Deep Sea Images is a leading photo stock agency of natural history images featuring the work of many professional and award winning nature, landscape and marine photographers. This is a great place to get the extra images you need for habitat slideshows and virtual field trips.

Discovery of Sound in the Sea

Oceanographers, submariners, whales, dolphins, seals, in short, all working or living in the ocean use sound to sense their surroundings, to communicate, and to navigate. This website will introduce you to the science and uses of Sound in the Sea. Resources include animal sound galleries, K-12 instructional curriculum and information on the technology used to explore the ocean realm.

Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures (PBS)

KQED and the Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Futures Society team up to create the spectacular Ocean Adventures series. When viewing education materials by episode, you will find activities linked by theme—the Teacher Guide to Voyage to Kure delves into human effects on ocean systems, the Teacher Guide to Sharks at Risk investigates food chains and webs, the Teacher Guide to The Gray Whale Obstacle Course looks into whale adaptations and behavior, and the Teacher Guide to America's Underwater Treasures will explore ecosystem biodiversity (available mid-September). Many of these themes are interwoven throughout the series, so be sure to uncover all the possible connections among the episodes.

Kelp Forest Page from Stony Brook University

Really cool images and descriptions of the kelp forest, including several plants and animals, make this is a great site for students and teachers!

Larvae Page from Stony Brook University

Many invertebrates, amphibians and fishes hatch from eggs and look nothing like they will as adults. Before becoming adults these animals must metamorphose to take on their adult characteristics. This first stage outside the egg is called the larval stage. Stony Brook University's website contains amazing images of all sorts of larvae you may find floating in ponds or the ocean.

MarBEF—Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

MarBEF is a network composed of nearly 100 marine institutions from the European Union. This website has quite a range of resources and content applicable to different age groups. You will find information about ocean-related careers, photos, research findings, and a number of relevant web links. It also has a great section just for kids including games/puzzles, simple descriptions of ocean concepts and phenomena and information about various marine inhabitants. Because the website is so content rich, it may take some time to navigate, but it's well worth it.

Marine Debris Website

Marine debris—any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment—has become one of the most widespread pollution problems facing the world's oceans and waterways. In an effort to combat this problem, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) implemented its Marine Debris Program, a national and international effort focused on identifying, reducing and preventing debris in the marine environment. As part of this program, NOAA has developed this educational website to inform people on the sources, impacts and solutions of the marine debris issue. On this site you can download informative marine debris brochures, posters, fact sheets, guidebooks, and activity books tailored to specific audiences, including beachgoers, fishermen, boaters, students and educators.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Activities & Resources Page

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has compiled a list of great activities, games, and resources for teachers and students. Topics include the deep sea, kelp forest, sea otters, rocky seashore, sandy shore, Monterey Bay, outer bay, sharks, and shore birds. Click on the "Activities & Games" section for even more exciting games to play on the computer in your classroom.

NOAA Ocean Explorer

The NOAA Ocean Exploration program strives to engage broad audiences to enhance America's environmental literacy through the excitement of ocean discovery. This website provides an innovative way for students of all ages to learn about the oceans by offering near real-time access to a series of multidisciplinary ocean explorations. It also provides compelling imagery, video, and topical essays related to the ocean. This particular section of the site offers formal education materials.

Ocean Footage

OceanFootage.com offers a comprehensive collection of topside and underwater ocean stock footage, sourced on SD and HD video and film. Choose a subject category for a comprehensive selection of marine life, ocean scenics, destinations and ocean sports. This is a great place to find quick footage of any organism your students may be studying.

The Ocean and Temperature

This is a good overview of density driven currents (temperature and salinity) for teachers using the Ocean Currents GEMS guide. This page is rich with illustrations and satellite images to enhance understanding.

OceanLink

OceanLink is dedicated to ocean education. Throughout these pages, you will find all kinds of interesting information about things like the biggest sea animals, marine biology careers, answers to common ocean/animal questions, and much more!! This page is teacher and student friendly.

Shallow Subtidal Page from Stony Brook University

Between the seashore and the open ocean is a shallow area called the subtidal zone. This site is loaded with great images of creatures you might find near shore or slightly farther out. One picture even shows the different shapes of radular teeth snails have depending on what they eat.

Are you trying to plan a field trip that depends on tidal information? These two websites show predictions for high and low tides by state and region. Be as specific as possible about location when searching for tidal predictions, as they may show variations even on small geographic scales. Most of the coastal field trip sites you visit will also offer online tidal predictions.