This page requires a Javascript enabled browser and an up-to-date version of Adobe's Flash Player.
Teachers resources
Blue Reef welcomes more than 30,000 schoolchildren each year making it one of the largest marine-based educational resources for schools and colleges. Every visit includes a guided tour with a member of our education team. These tours are adapted to the age and abilities of each group. They can also be tailored to meet specific curriculum requirements. Contact us in advance to discuss your individual needs and expectations for the visit. You are also welcome to choose a topic from the list below, designed to compliment and bring to life lessons in the classroom.
Click on the topic you are interesting in to download more information.
The marine world has been an inspiration for artists since the dawn of time - now here's your chance to get in the picture! Become a marine artist for the day with Blue Reef Aquarium. Sketch a seahorse, paint a puffer fish or create your own fishy work of art inspired by the amazing variety, patterns, colours, shapes and sizes of marine creatures.
Who is the oceans' ultimate master of disguise? Is it the incredible shape-shifting octopus or the Lawrence Llewellyn- Bowen of the marine world the decorator crab which uses seaweed, rocks and other objects to hide its true nature. Perhaps its the colour-changing flatfish that can change its hue to perfectly fit its surroundings. Here's your chance to decide and discover how different species use camouflage to hide themselves from predators and prey alike.
Learn how the tiniest single-cell organism can affect the continued survival of the marine world's largest inhabitants including sharks and whales. Life in the oceans is an intricate web with each species ultimately depending on all the others to survive. Discover how the success or failure of a single species could potentially destroy the entire food chain.
The aquatic world is home to an amazing variety of creatures all perfectly adapted to survive in their own particular environment. From apparently barren seabeds to rocky coastlines, coral reefs to deep-sea trenches life has found a way to not only survive but thrive in virtually every water-based habitat on the planet. Discover the secrets of their success and the special adaptations they have made to ensure their continued existence.
Discover the awesome hunting skills of the marine world's predators. Some use high speed attacks, while others lay in wait for their victims using camouflage to keep themselves hidden. Chemical, electrical and biological weapons have all been employed by marine species in the age-old aquatic arms race. Find out the amazing variety of weapons utilised in the never-ending battle for survival.
The marine world is full of some amazing animals; some, like the seahorse, have been the inspiration for myths and legends while others, like sharks, have terrified humans for centuries. The exploration of the oceans has revealed countless other marine marvels from fish that create their own electricity to others that can blow up to the size of a balloon! This fascinating tour aims to separate the facts from the fiction.
The planet's rivers and oceans are under increasing threat from a variety of sources; pollution, over- fishing, global warming and habitat loss.Using specific marine species as examples this workshop will examine the effects of some of these threats and ask what we can all do to help conserve our aquatic environment for the future.
Life in our seas and oceans has evolved a seemingly endless variety of ways to guarantee its continued existence. Learn about the ingenious ways different animals survive the generations from doting seahorse dads to egg scattering coral reef fish. Take a closer look at our Blue Reef Nursery where very different breeding strategies have led to some amazing success stories.
