Find activities, information and more by selecting from the categories below!
Fun, printable worksheets to practice STEM skills and learn about the marine environment.
Do a maze and learn about warmer/cooler spots in the ocean
Do some math and learn about fur seal tagging
Learn about bird beaks, watch a video and test your knowledge about prey
Learn about giant Pacific octopuses and make one out of paper
Learn about octopus species around the world
Learn about the marine food web
Learn about rockfish and make one out of paper
Learn about sea urchins and make one out of clay
Make a Cartesian diver and learn about density
Printable, black-and-white coloring sheets with interesting facts.
Black oystercatcher coloring sheet
Earth action week coloring sheet
Giant Pacific octopus coloring sheet
Marine animal mélange coloring sheet
Learn about animal anatomy, conservation issues, scientific basics and more with easy-to-understand illustrations and photos.
Coral before and after bleaching
Scuba diver gear: warm water vs. cold water
Show your love for the ocean and make a splash with our marine-themed wallpapers, sized for a variety of devices.
Curlew (small laptop, 1024x768)
Curlew (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Oystercatcher (small laptop, 1024x768)
Oystercatcher (standard, 1280x1024)
Oystercatcher (widescreen, 1440x900)
Oystercatcher (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Puffin (small laptop, 1024x768)
Puffin (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Hermit crab (small laptop, 1024x768)
Hermit crab (standard, 1280x1024)
Hermit crab (widescreen, 1440x900)
Hermit crab (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Sculpin (small laptop, 1024x768)
Sculpin (widescreen, 1440x900)
Sculpin (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Sea cucumber (small laptop, 1024x768)
Sea cucumber (standard, 1280x1024)
Sea cucumber (widescreen, 1440x900)
Sea cucumber (full HD widescreen, 1920x1080)
Sea urchin(small laptop, 1024x768)
Sea urchin (standard, 1280x1024)
Learn more about the Puget Sound's resident orca pod with our interactive orca family tree.
Ever wondered how to tell similar animals apart, or how to define certain types of animals? Many of these informative sheets also offer quizzes to test your knowledge.
Crawling vs. walking seal cheat sheet
Crawling vs. walking seal activity sheet
Learn about crustaceans and test your knowledge
Learn about echinoderms and test your knowledge
Learn about jellyfish and test your knowledge
Learn about marine debris and test your knowledge
Is it or isn't it marine debris?
Learn about marine mammals and test your knowledge
Learn about how to protect ocean health and draw a picture with your idea
Learn about octopus relatives and test your knowledge
Age and grade guidelines below are recommendations. Many of these activities may be easily adapted for kids at any level.
Grade 2 and up (ages 7+)
Web of Life
Grade 3 and up (ages 8+)
Counting Sea Stars
Grade 4 and up (ages 9+)
Build a Shell
Grade 9 and up (ages 14+)
Whale Food Pyramid
Sinking Slowly (easily adapted for younger learners)
If you have requests for activities or topics, contact us education@seattleaquarium.org.
Compare two marine-themed illustrations and see if you can find the differences (answers at bottom). A fun activity for all ages.
Enjoy a marine-themed story time!
Short Stories
Check out the story, Underwater Music, published by Cricket magazine (for kids ages 9–14), written by Seattle Aquarium Senior Ocean Policy Manager Nora Nickum and illustrated by Agnes Loonstra. You’ll learn about the different calls of the endangered orca pods, what you can do to help the orcas, and where to go to hear live sounds from the hydrophones!
Underwater Music from the July/Aug 2020 issue of CRICKET magazine. Text © 2020 by Nora Nickum, art © 2020 by Agnes Loonstra. Reprinted by permission of Cricket Media. All rights reserved.
Check out the story, Hugo and the Seal, published by Cricket magazine (for kids ages 9–14), in which a boy finds a seal pup at the beach and helps to protect it until its mother returns. This story was written by Seattle Aquarium Senior Ocean Policy Manager Nora Nickum and illustrated by Becca Santo.
Hugo and the Seal from the March 2021 issue of CRICKET magazine. Text © 2021 by Nora Nickum, art © 2021 by Becca Santo. Reprinted by permission of Cricket Media. All rights reserved.
Check out the story, Mo of the Mudflat, published by Cricket magazine (for kids ages 9–14), in which a girl makes a new friend who reveals intriguing critters at what appeared to be just a lifeless, slimy mudflat. This story was written by Seattle Aquarium Senior Ocean Policy Manager Nora Nickum and illustrated by Nicole Wong.
Mo of the Mudflat from the May 2022 issue of CRICKET magazine. Text © 2022 by Nora Nickum, art © 2022 by Nicole Wong. Reprinted by permission of Cricket Media. All rights reserved.
Read about amazing whales!
You’ll learn about orca friendships and gray whale headstands, people rescuing entangled whales, and how large whales can help us combat the climate crisis. These three articles, written by Seattle Aquarium Ocean Policy Manager Nora Nickum, were published by Muse magazine (for kids ages 9–14). Used by permission. © 2022 Cricket Media.
Fun and educational videos from the Seattle Aquarium! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more video content.
Animals Have the Wildest Names Series
Animal Features
Behind the Scenes
Search for marine-themed words and practice math skills with these fun activities, great for elementary-school-aged kids.