I have 10 sea shell activities today. And your kids will love making these fun crystal sea shells. Grab more ideas on my Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook.
Sea shell activities are a fun way to explore one of your favorite parts of the beach.
If you find yourself with an abundance of sea shells from your beach visits or you just want to have some seashell-themed fun I have a fun learning activity.
I have dug up 10 great sea shell activities and put together one of my own for you.
You can observe and describe seashells, identify them with a favorite guide or reference book or use them for a multitude of crafts and activities.
I am sharing a tutorial today for how to make crystal seashells.
This is an activity that can be educational as well as pretty.
Your child can place these glittery shells alongside the plainer ones on your science shelf to remember the fun they had watching them grow crystals.
Gather up handfuls of your favorite seashells and let’s see what kind of fun and learning we can do with them.
10 Stupendous Sea Shell Facts
First, look at these facts about sea shells.
- A sea shell is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal that lives in the sea.
- Mollusks can make their shells become different colors by eating a variety of colorful food. Eating red seaweed gives some sea animals a red shell.
- There is more to the pattern of the seashell than just being pretty. Scientists believe that mollusks use the patterns and colors as engineering blueprints. The design of the shells helps the animal know where to place their mantle, ensuring they grow its shell in the right spots.
- People used to use sea shells as currency, even as far back as Pompei.
- 90% of shells are dextral, meaning their shells open to the right.
- There are over 100,000 varieties of mollusks including snails, clams, mussels, scallops, oysters, and more.
- The official term for someone who collects shells is a “conchologist”.
- You can guess the age of shells, a scallop, for example, produces about a ridge per day.
- The largest sea shell is the Australian Trumpet, weighing up to 40 lbs.
- Sea shells are an excellent source of calcium carbonate making them a great choice for adding calcium to your garden beds.
10 Sea Shell Activities
Get your shell on with these fun and beachy-themed crafts and activities you can do with your sea shells.
- Sea Shell Sand Craft
- Sea Shell Necklaces
- How to Dye Rainbow Seashells
- Seashell Science and Math
- Storytelling Seashells
- Sea Shell Decorations
- Sea Shell Craft Project
- Ocean-Themed Playdough Invitation
- Glittery Seashells
- Sand Clay Handprint Keepsake with Seashells
More Sea Shell Activities and Beach Resources
Also, look at more summertime and sea shell fun.
- How to Dissolve a Seashell – Beach Hands-on Fun Activity
- Humboldt Who? Hands On to Understand Ocean Currents & Their Effect On The Galapagos Islands
- Edible Geography – Sea Levels
- 10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass
- Super Easy and Fun Aquarium Jar Craft For Summer Activities
- Making Ocean Layers Soap | Summer Activities
In addition, look at these fun books.
4 Seashells Books for Kids
Add one or two of these books or resources to your unit study about sea shells.
This clear and appealing book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom, is a fascinating exploration of the many creatures that make a home in a shell. This picture book features beautifully accurate illustrations of the many types of shells—inside and out! Young readers will love exploring the fascinating homes of creatures like hermit crabs, scallops, and turtles.
Beautiful photographs of stunning shells from London's Natural History Museum, home to one of the most significant and comprehensive collections in the world.Collected and treasured for their beauty, used in religious rituals, or even traded as currency, shells have fascinated humans for millennia. Ancient and enchanting, dazzling in form and variety, these beautiful objects come from mollusks, one of the most diverse groups in the animal kingdom, including snails, oysters, cuttlefish, and chitons. Soft-bodied, these creatures rely on shells for protection from enemies and their environments, from snowy mountains to arid deserts, in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the jungles of the tropics, on rocky shores, and in coral reefs.
Ocean beaches capture our attention like few places on Earth—and for good reason. Two vastly different ecosystems merge here, attracting a wide variety of life forms. Become a young oceanographer. Learn all about beaches and the plants and animals found there. East Coast expert Erika Zambello and West Coast naturalist Stephanie Panlasigui present a kids’ introduction to beach life. The children’s book, ideal for early and middle-grade readers, conveys fascinating information for beginners.
Start by learning about beaches and their various habitats, as well as tips on beach safety, collecting etiquette, an
Award-winning marine biologist Helen Scales introduces children to the wonders of shells (from seashells to land snails) through the art of observation. Using a friendly question-and-answer format, she explores, through a richly sensory experience, the incredible diversity of shells around the world and showcases the environments molluscs inhabit. From what a shell's shape, color, or texture can reveal about its inhabitant, to where shells are found (from the deepest seas to jungly treetops), with this book, readers can get up close with nature to observe its wonders.
Also, look at some of the science before we make this fun sea shell borax crystal.
Crystal Sea shell Science
Before we soak up the next activity let’s look at some of the science behind it.
First, it is important to know that hot water holds more borax crystals than cold or room temp.
This is because the hot water molecules move far apart and make room for the borax crystals to dissolve.
You can extend this experiment by trying the same measurements of borax and water with different water temperatures.
As the solution cools down the saturated water molecules come back together and force the particles out of the solution.
They will then land on the nearest surface (sea shells) and then they will keep building up to form crystals.
Once dried you will really be able to see the unique crystal shapes, and how they build on different surfaces like the edges, ridges, cavities, etc/
You can purchase sea shells online or even at dollar tree but how much fun is it to use the ones you found on your last beach vacation?
Finally, let’s make crystal sea shells.
How to Make Crystal Seashells
You will need:
- Seashells
- 4 cups hot water
- ¼ to ½ cup borax
- Shallow glass container
Directions:
Heat the water in a microwave-safe container.
You can do it in a shallow glass container or a spouted glass measuring cup is perfect for pouring later in the activity.
The water doesn’t have to be boiling but you want it hot, as it is necessary to melt and absorb the borax crystals.
Stir in the borax a few tablespoons at a time, adding more and more until it no longer dissolves.
This means the water is fully saturated.
Place seashells in the bottom of a shallow glass dish and give a little space between each of them.
Lay them down upside down and right side up to observe what happens with the crystallization.
Place the shallow dish in an area where they will not be disturbed.
Wait at least 24 hours before you check them for crystals.
Moving them around and removing them from the water will disturb the crystallization process.
Once they are done lay on a paper towel to dry.
Investigate your shells with a magnifying glass and a favorite resource book.
You can see here that the crystals started filling in the cavity of this conch.
