Sea Turtle nesting season begins in May on Florida’s Gulf Coast beaches. Now is the perfect time to learn a little more about these fascinating aquatic reptiles—and teach your kids, too. Here are some of the best sea turtle resources to help you get to know them better. We’ve included a link at the end of this post where you can extend your learning at home with free sea turtle lessons, printables, and other fun resources for all ages.
1. Learn about the world’s sea turtles.
We have two great places for you to start learning about sea turtles all over the world. National Geographic and the World Wildlife Federation have a lot of educational information to share including engaging videos, beautiful photography, and plenty of fun facts. Follow these two links to explore more!
2. Get to know the types of sea turtle species and their level of endangerment.
Six sea turtle species are found in U.S. waters, all of which are listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a page dedicated to sea turtles that includes a ton of facts and figures for each, along with their current level of endangerment. Learn about a new species of sea turtle each day for a week’s worth of ready-made lessons!
3. Read up on Florida’s sea turtles.
Now that you’ve learned about sea turtles of the world and sea turtles found in the United States, it’s time to learn more about the local sea turtle population found on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Sea turtle nesting and hatching seasons runs from May 1 through October 31 annually. Each year sea turtle nests are protected, monitored, and tracked in Pinellas County in a partnered effort with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
4. Meet the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s sea turtles and adopt your own!
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) has its own resident sea turtles, and you can get to know them up-close-and-personal on their website. Each sea turtle at the aquarium has its own bio and video, so it’s almost as good as being there in person. Did you know you can also help support the aquarium and its residents by adopting an animal? You can! There are differing levels of this symbolic adoption, so check out all of the ways you can help the local sea turtles (and other animals too) at the CMA.
5. Check out these free sea turtle lessons, printables, and other awesome homeschool resources.
Now it’s time to extend the lesson and get the kids involved in some hands-on learning. These sea turtle lessons and activities offer plenty to choose from and are free to you and your family. Check out these awesome and totally free homeschool resources!
You can also head over to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Education Station for Hope’s Homeschool Activities, Virtual Field Trips, and Live Educational Videos. The CMA offers free parents’ guides, extension activities and crafts, and so much more for all kinds of marine animals including sea turtles. There is so much to do. Have fun and keep learning!
Are you going to take advantage of these free sea turtle resources?
We want to know!
