With so many tentacles, the octopus is a perfect way to learn how to count. Draw a large octopus on the board or bring in a poster of an octopus. As a class, have your students count out-loud how many tentacles are on the octopus. Label each tentacle with a number. You can pair this simple math activity with other ocean creatures, such as the five-armed starfish.
After learning about the octopus, bring to class empty plastic water bottles. For this eco-friendly craft, pre-cut these water bottles by cutting off the bottom and cutting the bottles into eight strips or tentacles. If your preschoolers are older, they can cut the tentacles with child-safe scissors. As an alternative to plastic water bottles, you can use toilet paper rolls. Using glue, have your kids glue on googly eyes and decorate the octopus with paper, feathers or stickers. You can also have them decorate the octopus with binder reinforcement stickers, which are in the shape of the letter "O."
For recess time or a fun field day outside, have your students become octopuses. Tie four legs together using ribbon to make eight legs total. Have two teams race each other to see who gets to the finish line first. You can make the finish line something magical, like a coral reef. Advise your preschoolers to take small steps together, to keep the octopus from falling. This is a great activity for teamwork skills.
After teaching your students about the octopus, have them finger paint what they've learned. This is great for visual learners. Give your kids plain pieces of white paper and place a small amount of blue paint in the middle. Tell them to use their fingers to paint an octopus, which has eight tentacles. They can also use the paint to write the letter "O" or the number "8." You can also encourage them to paint waves above their octopus to show that it lives under the sea. Display these in your classroom.