This activity can be done with plasticine animals or through colouring in pictures of seabed life. Both options are listed on the What You'll Need tab.
Activity steps
If your box has flaps attached, cut these off.
Colour the sides and top of the box blue using backing paper or poster paint.
Colour the bottom of the box brown using backing paper, poster paint, or aluminium foil.
Add shells and/or pebbles to the bottom for decoration.
Add stands of pipe cleaner to represent algae growing on the seafloor.
Add your model seabed animals. If you have been making these, then you can also use extra neon paint to decorate the seafloor and the water. Take a photo using a UV light for a special seabed effect.
Add more animals using the paper templates and colour these in.
Add small markers using folder paper around a toothpick to show which types of animals you have on show!
Safety guidance
Use child-safe scissors.
Use child-safe paper glue.
If cardboard needs cutting, this should be done by a supervising adult.
Activity materials
Cardboard box at least 30 cm wide, by 20cm high and 20 cm deep *
Coloured backing paper, poster paint (blue and brown), or aluminium foil
Assorted pebbles or shells to decorate the bottom
Pipe cleaners
Child-safe glue
Model sea animals (see the modelling activities in this booklet)
Additional paper sea animals (download via QR code)
Colouring pen(cil)s if adding paper sea animals
* a piece of A3 thickish card folded in half could also be used
Find out more about some of the amazing animals that live on the seabed.
Alamy
Common cockle
The common cockle is one of the most well-known shellfish. It is known as a bivalve as it has two equal shells attached at the base. Inside this hard shell is its body, including a large foot that it uses to burrow into the sand. Cockles feed by filtering the water for tiny plant and animal matter.
Size Up to 4 cm to 6 cm across
Habitat Sandy seafloor at depths down to 500 metres
Brittle star
The brittle star is a type of starfish or sea star, as they are not fish! They bury themselves in the sand down to a depth of 5 cm and then stick their arms out into the seawater to catch tiny animals as well as to breathe. Brittle stars can grow back their arms if they are lost!
Size Body 1 cm across with arms up to 10 cm long
Habitat Sandy seafloor at depths down to 200 metres
Catworm
Catworms are a type of marine worm. They play an important role in the health of the sandy or muddy sediment just in the same way that earthworms help to keep soil healthy. The catworm feeds both on bits of animal and plant matter in the mud and sand as well as scavenging on small shellfish.
Size Up to 20 cm long and 1.5 cm wide
Habitat Sandy or muddy seafloor at depths down to 1,000 metres
Shutterstock
Sea potato
The sea potato or common heart urchin is a type of sea urchin that burrows into the sandy seafloor. It has a heart-shaped body covered in yellowish spines and uses these to trap air so that it can breathe when it is buried. The sea potato has lots of tiny legs which it uses to dig and to find food buried in the sand.
Size 6 cm to 9 cm across
Habitat Sandy seafloor at depths down to 200 metres
