Learning withOutdoors

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Find your beach

What is a beach?

A beach can be defined as a strip of land separating a body of water from inland areas. Think of all the places a beach can be……

A sandy beach at the ocean

A shell-strewn beach by the sea

The rocky shore of a lake

A pebbly edge of a stream

A muddy bank by a river

The squishy edges of a pond


Think about bodies of water near you and what the beach looks like. Go investigate!


Beaches are an important part of our landscape!

They provide:

  • Recreation opportunities: fishing, boating, swimming, bird watching, beach combing, soaking up the sun

  • Protection in the form of a storm buffer for residents who live near the body of water

  • A unique habitat for a variety of plants and animals

  • A breeding  ground for many animals


Once you find your beach, try out some of these learning ideas!

After you have found your beach, located a body of water near you- pond, lake, river, ocean, puddle, etc.

  1. Create a profile of the beach: Use our *free Beach Profile PDF to perform an in-depth study of your beach. (see below)

  2. Recreate the beach at your home or school: Use the natural resources near you to make a model of the beach and body of water. The model can be made outside in nature, in a sensory table, in a shoe box, or in your natural play area!

    (Hint: aluminum foil can often be molded to form, creeks, ponds, rivers)

  3. Help the beach: Threats to beaches include- erosion, development in the area, sea level rising, and pollution. What can you do to help the beach? Build a sea wall by your beach model, clean up the beach area, research, this a perfect way to do incorporate meaningful project work into your learning!