life science

There are many great crafts and activities to learn about echinoderms for kids. Also, look at my page Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook.

Have you ever wondered about the incredible creatures that live in the big, blue ocean? Well, let’s dive into the fascinating world of echinoderms.

Echinoderms are a group of sea animals that have some really unique features, setting them apart from all other life in the ocean.

Echinoderms are marine animals, meaning they spend their entire lives in saltwater environments.

They can be found in all sorts of ocean habitats, from shallow tide pools to the deepest parts of the sea.

The name “echinoderm” comes from Greek words that mean “spiny skin.”

Many echinoderms, like sea urchins, have a tough outer layer that can be covered in bumps, plates, or even sharp spines.

BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT ECHINODERMS

These spines can be used for protection against predators, helping them stay safe in the ocean. Even those that don’t have obvious spines often have hard, bumpy skin.

Next, look at some books about echinoderms.

11 Books About Fascinating Echinoderms Marine Animals

This group of animals sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, star fish and crinoids. All of these are marine animals with radial symmetry in their body shapes.

What's in the Tide Pool?

What would you see if you sat at the edge of a tidepool, looked into the water and watched the changes taking place in this little world? What life would you discover there? In a charming hand-sized book, Anne Hunter illustrates the creatures that live in and around a tidepool, and describes each animal's characteristics and habits. The gorgeous artwork and simple sense of wonder will inspire children to explore their environment. Fans of Hunter’s two books, WHAT'S IN THE POND? and WHAT'S UNDER THE LOG? will want to add this new title to their collection.

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Sand Dollars by the Seashore

Sand Dollars by the Seashore is a charming and educational poem for children about the wonders of the beach and the importance of respecting nature. It encourages young readers to explore the shoreline and discover its beauty while learning the difference between living sand dollars and cherishing their shell souvenirs as a special gift from the sea. Perfect for a day at the beach or a bedtime read, Sand Dollars by the Seashore is sure to delight and inspire young imaginations.

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Sea Stars (Ocean Life Up Close: Blastoff Readers, Level 3)

Did you know that sea stars pump water instead of blood through their systems? Although commonly called starfish, these life forms are not fish! Instead, they are part of a group containing other animals like sea urchins and sand dollars. Sea stars are hardy animals that can grow new limbs and open clam shells. In this interesting title, students will enjoy learning more about these shining ocean stars!

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Sea Urchins (Ocean Life Up Close)

Sea urchins look like fireworks exploding underwater. The spines that create their unusual appearance do have a purpose: they protect the tiny animals from dangerous predators. In this title, sea urchins of all shapes, sizes, and colors are on display for early readers!

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The Burgess Seashore Book for Children (Dover Children's Classics)

Familiar burgess characters Danny Meadow Mouse, Jimmy Skunk, and Reddy Fox explore every nook and cranny of the shoreline and learn first hand about the habits and habitats of spider crabs, sea cucumbers, sand eels, and that strangest of little fishes — the sea horse.Veteran storyteller and nature lover Thornton W. Burgess provides fascinating information to young readers as he describes coastal areas along the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way he weaves the area's many life forms into an entertaining tale that's also an illustrated guide to the seashore's natural history.

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The Sand Dollar

While walking on the shore of the Sea of Cortez a man has a remarkable dialog with the sea. Using the naturally occurring dove like structures found in sand dollars, the sea relates its past wars with the sun, the wind, the mountains, and the moon and addresses its ongoing war with man. The sea's explanation of the need for the fifth dove is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression with readers of all ages.

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The Big Book of the Blue (The Big Book Series)

Following the wild success of The Big Book of Bugs and The Big Book of Beasts, The Big Book of the Blue is the third installment in Yuval Zommer’s beloved series. Alongside everything the young oceanographer needs to know, Zommer’s charming illustrations bring to life some of the slipperiest, scaliest, strangest, and most monstrous underwater animals.

The book opens by explaining how different types of animals are able to breathe and survive underwater, and the different families to which they belong. Subsequent pages are dedicated to specific creatures, including sea turtles, whales, sharks, stingrays, and seahorses, and show varied life in specific habitats, such as a coral reef or deep sea bed. The Big Book of the Blue also explores the underwater world thematically, looking at animals in danger, learning how to spot creatures at the beach, and discovering how to do our part to save sea life. Beautiful and filled with fascinating facts, young, curious readers won’t be able to tear their eyes away from the page.

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Oceanarium: Welcome to the Museum

This stunning new offering from the Welcome to the Museum series guides readers around the world's oceans, from sandy shorelines to the darkest depths. Learn about the ocean’s most fascinating animals, including giant whale sharks, tiny tropical fish, and majestic manatees, among many others. With expert text by marine biologist Loveday Trinick and stunning illustrations by Teagan White, travel the world from frozen Arctic seas to shimmering coral reefs, and learn why it is so important that we protect our oceans.

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Ocean Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of the World under the Sea

Follow Rothman’s inquisitive mind and perceptive eye along shorelines, across the open ocean, and below the waves for an artistic exploration of the watery universe. Through her drawings, discover how the world’s oceans formed, why the sea is salty, and the forces behind oceanic phenomena such as rogue waves. Colorful anatomical profiles of sea creatures from crustacean to cetacean, surveys of seafaring vessels and lighthouses, and the impact of plastic and warming water temperatures are just part of this compendium of curiosities that will entertain and educate readers of all ages. 

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The Master of Tides

In the city of Tarian, where mastery over the tides is essential for the city’s very existence, an unforeseen and unthinkable thing has happened. The Master of Tides—Tarian’s guardian for over seven hundred years—has died, and the Sand Coin, the object that gives the Master his power, has vanished into the shadows.

With the Sand Coin missing and Tarian under threat from an impending cataclysmic event, Cora, a spirited orphan girl laboring in the city’s Water Works, embarks on a desperate quest to save her city.

Along with Will, her charming yet unwelcome companion, Cora discovers that to find the Sand Coin, she must join the magical Wandering Circus. But who in this mysterious and dangerous troupe of young performers can she trust? And how far will Cora have to travel with the circus in order to bring the Sand Coin home?

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Starfish (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science)

Starfish have arms, but no legs. They have feet, but no toes. Starfish aren't fish, but they are living animals. In this Let's-Read-and-Find-Out classic, learn how starfish move, eat, and grow. 

This is a clear and appealing science book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom. It's a Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores introductory concepts perfect for children in the primary grades. The 100+ titles in this leading nonfiction series are:

• hands-on and visual

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Next, look at these facts about echinoderms for kids.

FACTS ABOUT ECHINODERMS FOR KIDS

Most animals, including humans, have what’s called bilateral symmetry. This means if you draw a line down the middle of our body, the left and right sides are pretty much mirror images of each other.

But echinoderms are different! Most of them have radial symmetry as adults. Imagine a bicycle wheel: all the parts radiate out from a central point.

That’s how an adult starfish or sea urchin is structured. They often have five or more arms or sections arranged around their middle. Baby echinoderms actually start out with bilateral symmetry and then develop radial symmetry as they grow up.

Echinoderms have a fascinating way of moving using tiny structures called tube feet. These are small, flexible, hollow appendages that are usually found on the underside of their arms or body. They are part of a special system called the water vascular system.

This system is a network of canals filled with seawater. Echinoderms can control the water pressure in these canals, which allows them to extend and retract their tube feet. These little feet act like suction cups, helping the animals to grip onto surfaces, crawl along the seabed, and hold onto their food.

ECHINODERMS FACTS FOR KIDS

Echinoderms don’t have a brain like we do. Instead, they have a simpler nervous system. They usually have a nerve ring that circles their mouth and radial nerves that extend out into each of their arms or along their body.

This network of nerves helps them sense their environment, detect food, and coordinate their movements.

Some echinoderms have an amazing ability called regeneration. This means they can regrow lost or damaged body parts! Starfish are famous for this.

If a starfish loses an arm, it can often grow a completely new one. In some cases, if a piece of a starfish arm breaks off along with a part of the central disc (the middle part), that piece can even grow into a whole new starfish!

TYPES OF ECHINODERMS

• Starfish- Probably the most recognizable echinoderms. They typically have five arms radiating from a central disc, but some species can have many more.

They use their tube feet on the underside of their arms to slowly crawl along rocks and the seafloor.

Starfish are often predators, feeding on things like clams and mussels by using their strong arms to pry open the shells and then pushing their stomach out to digest the soft part.

Here is a super fun and Free Summer Unit Study For Kids and Fun Starfish Craft to try.

These Butterscotch Crunch Starfish look delicious.

• Sea urchins- Round or oval-shaped and are covered in spines of different lengths and thicknesses. These spines provide protection and can sometimes even be venomous. Sea urchins mostly eat algae and other small bits of organic matter.

They have a special mouth on their underside with five teeth that they use to scrape food off surfaces. You can find sea urchins in various colors, from black and brown to purple and red.

Preschoolers will love this U is for Urchin Zoo Craft.

• Sea cucumbers- Have long, soft, and leathery bodies, making them look quite different from other echinoderms. They move slowly along the ocean floor using their tube feet and sometimes by wiggling their bodies.

Sea cucumbers are important scavengers, meaning they eat tiny particles of food and organic matter that they find in the sediment.

Some sea cucumbers can even eject parts of their internal organs as a defense mechanism, and then regenerate those parts later!

For an art project you can learn How to Draw a Sea Cucumber.

• Sand dollars- are flat, round echinoderms that live on sandy bottoms in shallow coastal areas. They are often found partially or completely buried in the sand.

ECHINODERMS FOR KIDS

They have tiny spines and tube feet on their upper and lower surfaces that help them move and collect food particles from the sand. The beautiful patterns you often see on the shells of dead sand dollars are made up of the arrangement of their skeletal plates.

Paper plates sand dollars are easy and a great way to learn about the features of starfish. Look at my post Fascinating Life Cycle Of A Sand Dollar & Hydro Dipped Craft.

Use these shells, starfish, and sand dollars to create sensory bins, dioramas, or add to the science shelf for exploration.

• Brittle stars- look a bit like starfish, but their arms are much longer, thinner, and more flexible. They move much more quickly than starfish by using snake-like movements of their arms.

Unlike starfish, their arms are quite brittle and can easily break off if they are threatened.

However, just like starfish, they can regenerate lost arms. Brittle stars are very common in many marine habitats and can be found hiding under rocks or in crevices.

Ocean Anatomy is a wonderful resource to learn about all echinoderms including the brittle sea star.

Finally, look at how to make simple sea urchin craft.

HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE SEA URCHIN CRAFT

You will need:

• Foam balls
• Toothpicks
• Craft paint
• Craft glue

First, if you can only find round styrofoam balls instead of the half use a knife to carefully slice them in half.

Paint your styrofoam half whatever color you desire and set it aside.

For older children, you can have them cut away a small cross-section like this to create an area for drawing the sea urchins anatomy inside.

For younger learners skip this step and focus on the outside.

The quickest way I found to paint all the toothpicks is to put some paint in a bowl with a little water to thin it out and roll them around in the watered-down paint.

You will need a lot of toothpicks to make a nice full sea urchin.

Shake off the excess (wear gloves to avoid painted fingertips) and press the toothpicks into the styrofoam ball.

You can use a paintbrush to add a little more color to give it depth and contrast, we did white tips to create the Pacific Purple Sea Urchin.

Allow to dry completely.