While browsing through books for a unit study I'm working on, my girls and I came across a book about the Australian spotted jellyfish. They were fascinated by the pictures and asked me to read it to them. This ended up inspiring an entire day of jellyfish themed learning. Below are instructions for the activities we did and links to the resources we used.
Interesting Facts About Jellyfish
-Jellyfish are not actually fish at all. They belong to a group of aquatic invertebrates called cnidarians which also includes sea anemones and corals. Since they are not fish, scientists often call them sea jellies instead of jellyfish.
-Many sea jellies have stinging tentacles which help them hunt for food. Some, like box jellyfish, are extremely toxic to humans.
-Sea jellies have no brains or bones. They do however have a simple nervous system that allows them to detect light, vibrations, and chemicals in their environment.
-Some sea jellies have bioluminescent organs that make them glow in the dark!
-There are around 200 species of sea jellies and they can be found all over the world.
Learn About Sea Jelly Anatomy
Teach your kids about the basic parts of a sea jelly. Then have them sketch one and label the parts.
The umbrella shaped part of the sea jelly is called a hood or bell. Hanging below the bell are tentacles and oral arms. Each tentacle is covered in stinging cells used for defense and to stun prey. The oral arms are used to help herd food towards the mouth.
The mouth is located on the underside of the bell. Inside the bell is a simple digestive tract, a simple muscular system, reproductive organs, and a primitive nervous system.
You can learn more about sea jelly anatomy here: https://animalcorner.org/jellyfish-anatomy/
Learn About the Sea Jelly Lifecycle
Sea jellies have a very interesting lifecycle. When a sea jelly egg becomes fertilized, it develops into a tiny larva called a planula, which then attaches itself to a rock or reef.
It then develops into a polyp, which resembles an anemone but smaller. They are typically less than an inch long and have finger like tentacles for helping them herd food into their centrally located mouths.
Over time and when the conditions are favorable, the polyps begin to grow and transform into a stack of tiny sea jelly clones. These tiny sea jelly clones are called strobila.
Periodically the strobila on the end of the stack is released and it then swims away as a free swimming, but immature medusa. The medusa continues to feed and grow, and quickly becomes a fully mature sea jelly.
You can watch a short video about the process here.
After you've learned about the sea jelly lifecycle, challenge you kids to draw it!
Sea Jelly Craft
For this craft you will need:
-paper bowls
-coffee filters
-glue
-watercolor paints
-a paint brush
-scissors
-tissue paper
-string or yarn
Turn your paper bowl upside down. This will be the bell or medusa part of your sea jelly. Using the watercolors, paint the bottom side of the bowl. Sea jellies come in lots of different colors and patterns, so get creative.
Next glue a coffee filter inside the bowl. This will give your sea jelly's bell a kind of ruffly look at the bottom.
When the paint and glue are fully dry. Poke two small holes in the center of the bowl and thread about a foot of string or yarn through the holes and tie the ends. This will provide a way to hang your sea jelly when you are finished.
Cut several long strips of tissue paper for your sea jelly's tentacles and glue them inside the bowl so that they will hang down under your sea jelly's bell.
Once the glue is dry, your sea jelly is ready to be hung!
Additional Resources for Learning About Sea Jellies
-Jellyfish 101 video from NatGeoWild
-Jellyfish Facts and Photos from National Geographic Kids
-All About Jellyfish for Kids video from FreeSchool
-Chalk Pastel Jellyfish- learn how to draw a sea jelly with this tutorial from Art with Miss Linda!
If you enjoyed this post check out:
-Learning About Birds- Unit Study
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