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Explore · Wild and Tumble activity

Seaweed explorers

Slimy, bumpy, poppy! Explore all the different seaweeds washed up on the beach.

  • 15 min total
  • Some mess
  • Ages 2–5*
  • Outdoors
  • Beach days
Let's do this

*Illustrative age guidance. Your child's development and circumstances matter more than a number.

A tiny plan for your day

Estimated time: 2 min to find seaweed · 12 min to explore · 1 min to rinse hands. It's fine to stop early.

Before you start

What you’ll need

  • A beach with seaweed along the tideline
  • A bucket of seawater, optional

Let's begin

Five simple steps

That's the whole activity. Tick each step off as you go, and stop whenever you like.

  1. Find different kinds of seaweed: long and flat, frilly, bumpy.

  2. Feel them. Which is slimy? Which is crispy?

  3. Look for bladder wrack with little air bubbles. Can you pop one?

  4. Dip some in seawater. Does it change?

  5. Sort them into piles by colour: green, red, brown.

All done!

That's every step. However it went, you made a little moment together.

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