God Made the Ocean

SEE LESSON Plan below. Designed for children ages 3-5. Can be adjusted to use with children both younger and older. Enjoy making the lesson your own, choosing your favorite activities! And make sure to check out the Pinterest Board specifically designed for this lesson.

“God Made the Ocean”  Unit: Splash Into Summer

LESSON PURPOSE: GOD created the Ocean and all of its sea life for us to enjoy. True Father has a special love for the Ocean.

MATERIALS: water play, craft materials, learning props

SONG IDEAS: He's Got the Whole World, Sailing With our Father, Row Row Row Your Boat

BOOKS:  Stories about the Ocean, Sea, Boats God Made The Ocean

AS CHILDREN ARRIVE: Sensory Play (Choose 1)

  • Pool Noodle Boats:  Cut up a pool noodle- add in a straw & foam sail. Place in a water bin for play.

  • Water Beads: Fill a sensory bin with clear and blue water beads! Add in ocean animals or seashells for fun squishy, wet play!

  • Blue Playdough- Put out blue playdoh and water animals. Yellow playdoh with seashells. Kids can create an ocean scene for play & sort "sand & Sea".

  • Water bin: Fill a bin with water and add in ocean toys like fish, starfish, boats & more.

SCRIPTURE:

"And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, (and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.) So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, (and every winged bird according to its kind.) And God saw that it was good." -Genesis 1:21-22
"God gave life to the ocean and this is how they live. If you look at a drop of water, it has no color. But if you gather more water, a beautiful color begins to emerge. How beautiful it is. In the water are so many species of fish; the ocean contains all kinds of fish and life. Water is life-giving." "I love to have that kind of experience with nature and God. That is why I go to sea." -Rev.Moon

WELCOME: SONG, PRAYER, TP Greeting

REVIEW & TRANSITION:

Last week we learned all about our footprints in the sand & how God our Heavenly Parent and our own parents can carry us in times of need. As we walk along the seashore with our toes in the sand- we can look out and see the beautiful rolling waves of the ocean. Today we're going to the ocean!

ATTENTION GRABBER: (Choose 1)

  • Ocean Props: Show pictures of ocean animals,  animal toys or stuffed animals, seashells, starfish, goggles, flippers a boat oar etc and describe them.

  • Snorkeling: Put on a pair of goggles and describe a beautiful ocean scene. Let children take turns putting on the goggles and explain what they see in their imagination like: "I see a shark!' 

  • Ocean Waves: Play calming ocean wave sounds and have children relax and close their eyes- imagine being on a boat being carried by the waves.

SONG OR POEM: (choose 1)

  • FISHY POCKEY- "You put your left fin in, take your left fin out. You put your left fin in and shake it all about. You do the fishy pokey and you turn yourself around, that's what it's all about! Sing again: Put your right gill in. Put your fishy tail in...
  • TAKE ME OUT TO THE OCEAN- "Take me out to the ocean. Take me out to the Sea. Show me the foamy waves rolling there. As I breathe in the salty air! Let me look, look, look at the ocean. See the Sea and explore. For it's fun to dive from the top to the ocean floor!" 
  • A SAILOR WENT TO SEA SEA SEA- "A sailor went to sea sea sea, to see what she could see see see. But all that she could see see see, was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea. A seahorse! A sailor went to sea sea sea, to see what she could see see see. But all that she could see see see, was a seahorse swimming in the sea sea sea." Sing again: turtle, dolphin, shark, jellyfish, seashell, seaweed...
  • ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT- Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream.

VIDEOS: click on the link: (choose 1 or 2)

*TEACHING POINT 1: God Made the Ocean

INTRO: When God created the world, He created sky, land and Sea. The water became an ocean with lots of amazing fish and sealife! "God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds... And God saw that it was good."

READ ALOUD: Picture book about the Ocean

  • DISCUSS All About the Ocean (Ocean Animals Printable) (Choose a few questions)

    • What kinds of animals live in the Ocean? Fish, dolphin, sharks, stingray, jellyfish, starfish, octopus, shrimp, crab... Talk about the animals, how many fins or legs they have, what color they are, if they live on the ocean floor or swim in the water etc.

    • What is your favorite ocean animal & why?

    • Why do you think God made the ocean? Water is a home for the animals. It provides us enjoyment and food like shrimp & fish.

    • How can we keep the ocean clean? No littering, picking up trash.

    • How can we be safe in the ocean? Water safety- never swim without a grown up. Wear a life jacket, wear sunscreen etc.

GROUP ACTIVITIES: (choose 1)

  • Ocean Limbo- tie blue streamers to a stick- have children do the limbo to fun songs about the ocean pretending to be fishes swimming in the Sea!
  •  Ocean Yoga- Do these fun ocean animal yoga poses!

*Teaching Point 2: True Father's Love for the Ocean (Optional Extension)

True Father's Words on the Ocean (Optional: Have children sit in a pretend boat together as you read the words and discuss)

"God gave life to the ocean and this is how they live. If you look at a drop of water, it has no color. But if you gather more water, a beautiful color begins to emerge. How beautiful it is. In the water are so many species of fish; the ocean contains all kinds of fish and life. Water is life-giving." "I love to have that kind of experience with nature and God. That is why I go to sea." -Rev.Moon
"You can see your face reflected in the peaceful water, even so, the ocean is always moving. It has to for the sake of the fish. The wind moves the water and this movement allows for the oxygen that the fish need to live. God gave life to the ocean and this is how they live. If you look at a drop of water, it has no color. But if you gather more water, a beautiful color begins to emerge. How beautiful it is. In the water are so many species of fish; the ocean contains all kinds of fish and life. Water is life-giving. More than 70% of man's body is made of water. When the water hits your face, it scratches your eyes because it's so salty. How do you feel at that moment? You spit it out, don't you, and try to shut your eyes? Ocean water has a basic taste, it is the natural taste of life. So when you go out again, you will feel and taste the water differently won't you? After working all day your hands will be dry and salty. Then you can taste them. That is a wonderful moment. That is the beauty of the sea. You can even write a poem about the salt of the ocean." -Rev. Moon

Jesus and True Parents teach us how to take care of and love our World. True Father had a very special love for the Ocean! Did you know that True Father started many ocean businesses? Including fish companies, sushi restaurants, shrimping and shipbuilding. True Father loved to fish and experience God's power in the ocean. He also knows that the ocean can feed us and help take care of our world. Through building ships and providing fish- we can help bring food to poor countries and many people all over the world!

GROUP ACTIVITY: 

  • Boat Race: Make paper boats & have children float & race them!

CONCLUSION:

God made the Ocean for me! God our Heavenly Parent made many sea creatures big and small. They are all unique and serve a purpose in God's creation. True Parents teach us to take good care of the ocean and appreciate the fish and food that we can get from the Sea.

TITHING & PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Parent, thank you for the Ocean! We love the beautiful colorful fishies that live in the big salty ocean waves. Thank you for creating so many unique sea animals that bring us joy. We are grateful for the joy and the food the ocean brings us. Amen. Aju!

CRAFTS: choose 1

SNACK IDEAS:

  • Blue Jello: Enjoy blue jello- pretend it's the Ocean!

  • Paper boat: Enjoy goldfish in paper boat bowls!

  • Sweddish Fish: For a sweet treat, enjoy some Swedish fish.

Enjoy the lesson! Feel free to submit photos to lgavin@unification.org Love seeing lessons come to life and each community
Leena Vincenz-Gavin