Ocean word search

Dive in with the creatures of the sea, from the tiny krill and plankton at the bottom of the food chain to the orca, the narwhal and the great whales. Shellfish such as the clam, oyster and scallop share the list with reef life like the clownfish, the anemone and the coral itself, plus words for the coast: tide, lagoon, harbor and lighthouse.

The ocean is full of facts that make children (and adults) stop and stare. An octopus has three hearts and blue blood. The blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever lived. A starfish is not a fish at all, and with seahorses it is the father, not the mother, that carries the eggs until they hatch.

Teachers can use the theme to open a lesson on habitats: after the puzzle, sort the words into animals with shells, animals that breathe air and animals that live on the reef.

Play tip: six words begin with SEA (SEAHORSE, SEAWEED, SEAGULL, SEA LION, SEA OTTER and SEA TURTLE). When several of them are in one grid, they all start the same way, so tell them apart by their endings.