Our Classic Whalemobile Program

Students get to become whales! This active game allows them to (pretend to) eat like whales, move like whales, and breathe like whales. Depending on the class, we might focus on migration, how they communicate, or their social structure. 

(K-LS1-1: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.)

Animals need food, water, shelter, oxygen, and space to survive. In this hands-on activity, students will use maps and animal models to explore different ocean habitats. We'll discuss the unique strategies that marine animals use to adapt and thrive in their environments.

(3-LS2-1:  Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive. ) 

Students will understand that not only do whales use their tails to swim and defend themselves, but the tails can tell a story about the whale's life. Students will match whale tails and analyze what might have happened to that whale based on scars.

(4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.)

Students will construct an ocean food web and discuss where plankton live in the water column, where they get nutrients (whale poop) and how energy flows through the food web. We also go into changes in the ecosystem and what that means for whales. 

(5-PS3-1: Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, and motion and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.) Click here to see what happens.