National Science Week is taking place from 15 – 23 August and SEA LIFE Aquariums across Australia and New Zealand are diving into the action!  

With the expertise to bring the 2020 theme of ‘Deep Blue: innovations for the future of our oceans’ to life, SEA LIFE will present free educational activities and live video content throughout the week.

As part of National Science Week’s annual celebration of science and technology featuring more than 1,000 events, SEA LIFE will help students discover why sand is such an important part of the marine environment.  

Available on Merlin’s Education Toolbox, the educational activities include:

  • A Magic Sand Experiment Worksheet where you can make your very own magic sand and complete a series of experiments to understand how it works and why it was originally designed to help protect the ocean and help clean up oil spills.
  • A Coastal Habitat Poster where you can learn why sand is an important part of this habitat and discover how sand helps with survival and is used by so many different animals.
  • An Ocean Habitats video where you can discover more about the native habitats of sea creatures and how the aquarium has replicated these environments.  

Available on each aquarium’s Facebook page, there are four live streams taking place during National Science Week:  

  • Learn about goatfish at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium at 10am on Saturday 15 August and find out how it has adapted to its environment. Have you ever wondered what a goatfish looks like and what the barbells on their chin are used for? Visit Facebook.com/sydneyaquarium to watch.

  • Meet Winnie the baby wobbegong shark at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast at 10am on Monday 17 August and discover how these ocean floor dwellers live and look for food. Visit Facebook.com/sealifesunshinecoast to watch.

  • Cross the Tasman Sea to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium in Auckland at 10am on Wednesday 19 August to meet a baby loggerhead turtle and find out how it was born and how sand plays an important role in protecting it. Visit Facebook.com/sealifekellytarltons to watch.

  • Join SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium at 5pm on Friday 21 August to encounter some of the aquarium’s largest marine creatures in the 2.2 million litre Oceanarium. Visit Facebook.com/melbourneaquarium to watch.

For further information, visit Merlin’s Education Toolbox and National Science Week.

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