Fun Facts About Oceans

The ocean is one magical and stunning piece of earth that is full of mysteries. People are constantly on the hunt to learn more about all the amazing wonders that take place in the ocean all around the globe. I wanted to take some time to share some fun facts about oceans with you so you can share with your kids.

With summer in full swing, we will spend a lot of time outdoors and maybe even take advantage of some nice pool time. I got to thinking, why not do some fun arts and crafts about the ocean, talk about the wonders and interesting facts and help my children grow and learn as they have fun playing and crafting away.

Learn how deep light penetrates the world’s largest ocean, how deep divers have swam, and more really interesting and fascinating facts about the ocean.

Fascinating Fun Facts About Oceans

 

70% Of Earth

Oceans make up around 70% of the Earth’s surface, which is pretty incredible. There is so much that goes on in these waters that we are still researching and trying to learn.

Explored Oceans

Scientist guess that only about 5% of the ocean floors around the world have been explored. Can you imagine how long it would take and the manpower to explore it all?!

Rivers Under The Ocean

Interesting enough, rivers and deep lakes have been discovered in the ocean! Hydrogen sulfide mixes with salty water and creates a really dense brine that then helps channel out these bodies of water.

Light

Did you know that light can penetrate about 300 feet down from the surface of the ocean? Some areas in the deep-sea never get touched by the sunlight and they are incredibly dark.

Pacific Ocean 

I found this little nugget incredibly interesting. The original meaning of the Pacific ocean means ‘peaceful sea’.

Full of Bacteria

This is a good reminder not to drink ocean water and to keep your mouth closed while swimming. Swallowing even a millilitre of the ocean water means you could have swallowed 1 million different bacteria and even up to 10 million viruses.

Indian Ocean 

The third largest ocean is the Indian Ocean and it covers about 14% of the Earth’s surface.

Planets 

The earth is the only planet to be said to have oceans or larger bodies of water. As planets get discovered this might change, but for now Earth is it. 

Species

Amazingly there are millions of species that have yet to be discovered in the ocean. Marine biologists have only discovered around 2/3 of marine life over the years.

How Deep Can You Go

For the record, the furthest a human has gone into the ocean was around 2000 feet deep wearing a diving suit.

Moon vs Ocean

Shockingly we touched foot on the moon before we touched the bottom of the ocean (mid-ocean Mountain Ridge). NASA touched the moon in 1969 while divers explored the floor of the ocean in 1973.

Average Temperature

The ocean has an average temperature of 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

World’s Largest Body Of Water

Can you guess which ocean is the world’s largest body of water? If you guessed the Pacific Ocean, you were right. It covers around a third of the total surface of the earth!

If Glaciers and Icebergs Melted

If all the glaciers, ice sheets, and icebergs were to melt, it could make the sea level rise by around 262 feet. That is a lot of water and would submerge almost all the coastal cities around the world.

Mountain Range Underwater

There are mountain ranges underwater called the mid-Oceanic Ridge. It is a long chain of mountains that run through the Atlantic Ocean and into the Pacific and Indian oceans. It stretches for more than 35,000 miles and is considered one of the longest mountain ranges. The mid-Oceanic Ridge peaks are higher than the Alps! This range takes up around 23% of the Earth’s total surface.

Hottest Ocean 

The Indian Ocean is said to be the hottest among the top five oceans. It can reach over 86 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Ocean Tides 

Tides are caused by the Earth rotating and then gravitational pull from the moon and sun. 

Salty Water 

Seawater obtains its salt from the ions and minerals that are washed away from rocks on the land. Through natural course of events and time, the salty condition takes place. 

Now as always when I do my fun facts posts, I want to include some books I recommend. So here you go—

Oceans (Collins Fascinating Facts)Sharks and Other Predators: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #25: Shadow of the Shark (Magic Tree House (R) Fact Tracker)300 Fantastic Facts – Oceans: Your Guide to the Marine World for 7-11101 Facts About Oceans (101 Facts About Our World)Oceans: Can You Tell the Facts from the Fibs? (Lie Detector)Our Friends In The Ocean – Fun Facts About Marine AnimalsALL FISH FACES: Photos and Fun Facts about Tropical Reef Fish (Ocean Friends)

 

DIY Seascapes

What’s Needed

• 2 Glass jars with lids
• Fishing Bait/Lures (buy from the fishing section in the store, if they have a hook then remove it) or use plastic sea animals.
• Multi-colored Rocks (for fish tanks)
• Plastic sea plants (for fish tanks)
• Blue Food coloring

 

Directions

1. First pour the rocks into the jars. Then place the sea plants and fish in.                
2. Next, fill a large container with water and add 1 drop of food coloring. If it’s too blue, then just add more water until you reach the color you want.                  
3. Then very slowly, pour the water into the jars.              
4. Fix any fish/sea animals that might have shifted. Place the lids on and tighten.         
5. Set on shelf for display!                                                             

 

Surfing Octopus

• 20 graham crackers
• 20 gummy octopus
• 1/2 cup cream cheese; softened
• 1 drop sky blue dye

1. In a bowl, mix in cream cheese and blue dye.                                                                                   
2. Spread the cream cheese onto the cracker and top with gummy octopus.                                  
3. Enjoy!                                                                                                                                                        

Movies and games about sea life and sea animals….also, my Dolphin Tale 2 FREE learning pack is here and Finding Dory is here–

Dolphin Tale / Dolphin Tale 2 BundleDisney’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Two-Disc Special Edition)Finding NemoFinding Dory (Plus Bonus Content)Ravensburger Ocean Labyrinth Board GameSplash Game for Kids 6 Years & Up – Winner of 5 Best Children’s Game and Top Family Game Awards – Fast Action & Fast Fun! (ed 4 )Ocean-Opoly Monopoly Board Game

 

Also, I have a Free printable pack for you to use with your kiddos to learn more about the ocean! Click below to down load. Have fun making memories learning!