Oceans and the Water Cycle

Oceans are an important part of the water cycle. It affects the weather and moisture in the earth’s atmosphere.

Snowfall affects the water cycle where I live. If we don’t have a good snow pack in the mountains we have a short supply of water for cities and farms.  Melting snow fills rivers and reservoirs that provide water for us.

Here is a printout and little lesson about our wonderful water cycle.

Hermit Crab Printout and Care

Sea snail shells that are empty are used by hermit crabs.

My children loved hermit crabs. We had at least eight of them. They provided hours of fun just watching them socialize with each other.

This site provides a great basic care guide at hermit-crabs.com

Here are some nomenclature cards to printout about hermit crabs at montessorimom.com

Alt Printout

Beachcombing Sea Glass

It’s fun to collect treasures from the beach. One of my favorites is collecting sea glass, sometimes called beach or ocean glass. Some define beach glass as clear glass found in fresh water. Ocean or sea glass from salt water tends to be more frosted.

Beachcombing for sea glass can provide hours of educational fun.  Keeping a map of where you find your sea glass can give you clues about your treasures. The glazing and roundness of the glass can give insight about the length of time the glass has been sanded and smoothed in the water.

Sea or beach glass can be found in many waterways.  Fresh or salt water provide these glass treasures.

Find out more at montessorimom.com