Start by setting up the educational space by posting images of the ocean and the various creatures that live in it as motivation for toddlers. For this activity, recycled clear plastic water bottles with lids will be needed. Toddlers can bring these from home to use for the art project. A couple of measuring cups, several cups of play sand, seashells, a couple of gallons of water with blue food coloring added, rocks and glitter.
Discuss the ocean with preschoolers and explain to them how it is home to a variety of things. Make a list of all the ideas toddlers can think of. Explain to toddlers that they will be creating their own ocean environment. Each toddler can select a bottle and pour a small amount of sand into it. They can place a couple seashells and rocks into the opening of the bottle and sprinkle a small amount of glitter in the water bottle before they fill it with blue colored water. After sealing the water bottles tightly, allow preschoolers to shake their oceans and watch what happens.
Using the various images of the ocean for motivation, discuss with toddlers all the various activities taking place in the water. Fish are swimming, sharks are hunting and coral is growing. All the different items in the ocean play a role in keeping the ocean working as an eco-system.
Provide each student with a sheet of white paper, crayons and a set of watercolor paints and brushes. First have students use crayons to draw outlines of items in their ocean without coloring them in. Using the watercolor paints and brushes, paint the ocean over the crayon. The crayon will push away the paint leaving the crayon outlined ocean creatures to shine through. When toddlers are finished, display the ocean resist paintings on the walls.
Jellyfish are a interesting creatures living in the ocean and reproductions are easily made with toddlers. Using paper plates, tempera paint, glue, scissors, strips of tissue paper and googly eyes, preschoolers can create their own jellyfish to float through the sea. Look at images of jellyfish with toddlers and learn more about them.
Draw a line across the paper plates and use scissors to cut plates in half. If toddlers cannot cut on their own, cut the plates for them. Use the tempera paint and paint the plates. While the paint in drying, cut strips out of tissue paper. When paint is dry, glue goggly eyes onto jelly fish along with strips of tissue paper to act as tentacles. Display the jellyfish around the room.