Darla the Dolphin and the Seashell Search (Summer Lesson)
🐬 Darla the Dolphin and the Seashell Search
A preschool homeschool summer lesson featuring ocean life, sorting, sensory play, early science, and playful learning.
✏️ STORY: “Darla the Dolphin and the Seashell Search”
Darla the Dolphin loved to jump and splash in the warm summer waves. She was fast, curious, and loved to explore! One sunny morning, Darla spotted something shiny on the ocean floor. She dove down deep and discovered… a seashell! It was smooth, round, and pink like bubblegum.
She picked it up with her nose and swam to show her friend Sammy the Seahorse. “Look what I found!” said Darla. Sammy spun with excitement. “That’s a shell! There are so many kinds—some are twisty, some are bumpy, some are big, and some are tiny!”
Darla was amazed. She started to collect seashells—scallops, conchs, clams, and spirals. She learned their shapes, colors, and sizes. “This one’s small and pointy!” “This one is wide like a fan!” “Look at this one—it has stripes!”
She organized her shells by size and color, placing them neatly in sandy piles outside her coral cave. Other ocean animals came to see her collection and learn too. Darla even made labels with coral sticks: Big Shells, Stripy Shells, Tiny Twists.
One day, Darla found a plastic dolphin toy near the shore. She didn’t know what it was, but she noticed it didn’t feel like the other shells. “It’s smooth like a shell, but it doesn’t come from the ocean!” said Sammy. “It’s a toy!” said a nearby crab.
Darla smiled. “I’ll sort it with my ‘Not-a-Shell’ pile.” And so she did. Darla had learned something important: Shells are all different, but each one tells a story—and learning is an adventure under the sea!
🧠 WHAT WE’RE LEARNING:
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Science & Nature: Intro to seashell types, ocean animals
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Early Math: Sorting by size, shape, texture, or category
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Sensory & Motor Skills: Hands-on sorting and sand play
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Language: Descriptive vocabulary (smooth, pointy, tiny, swirly)
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Critical Thinking: Classifying real vs. not real (shell vs. toy)
🎨 CRAFT: Paper Plate Dolphin Seashell Collector
Supplies:
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2 paper plate
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Blue paint or crayons
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Googly eye
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Blue Construction paper for fins, mouth and tail
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Real or paper seashell cutouts
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Glue and scissors
Instructions:
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Color the paper plate blue.
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Cut the blue paper plate to make a dolphin body.
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Add fins, tail, mouth and googly eye.
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Glue paper or real shell cutouts inside the plate to show Darla’s collection!
🍎 SNACK: “Seashell Salad”
Ingredients:
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Spiral pasta (seashell shape)
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Cheese cubes (sunken treasure or ocean floor gems)
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Ham cubes (colorful coral rocks or ocean floor gems)
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Green peas (bubbly sea foam)
Arrange on a blue plate (water) or napkin. Talk about the shapes as you eat. “Look at these yummy ocean treasures! The spiral noodles are seashells, the peas are bubbly sea foam, the cheese is golden treasure, and the ham is colorful coral on the ocean floor — just like Darla discovered!”
🧺 SENSORY BIN: Shell Sorting in the Sand
What You Need:
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A bin or tray
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Play sand or rice
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Small plastic dolphins or ocean toys
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A variety of real or plastic seashells
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Scoops, cups, or small tongs
Activity:
Let your child dig, scoop, and discover buried seashells and dolphins.
Challenge them to sort items into groups:
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Shells vs. dolphins
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Small vs. big
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Smooth vs. bumpy
Label sections in the bin with small cards: Shells, Toys, Big, Small, etc.
🎲 GAME: Dolphin Dive Sorting Race
Place seashells and plastic dolphins on one side of the room.
On the other side, place two buckets: one labeled "Shells" and one "Dolphins."
Let your toddler "dive" like Darla and sort each item into the right bucket—one at a time!
🎵 SONG: “Swim and Sort Like Darla”
(Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If you find a little shell, give a cheer! (YAY!)
If you find a dolphin toy, bring it here! (SPLASH!)
Sort them by their size,
And use your dolphin eyes,
Let’s explore the ocean treasures we hold dear!
🎵 Song Title: “Darla the Dolphin”
By The Seasonal Schoolhouse. All Rights Reserved.
Full MP3 Download available in "Magical Music Note" section. Shop Darla The Dolphin MP3 DOWNLOAD
Verse 1
Darla the dolphin splashed in the sea,
Looking for shells as happy as can be.
Swirly ones, bumpy ones, some that shine—
She sorted them all in a wiggly line!
Chorus
Swim, swim, splash around,
Darla finds treasures on the ground!
Big ones, small ones, pink and blue,
She’s got a seashell just for you!
Verse 2
She found a toy that didn’t feel right,
Smooth and shiny, but way too light.
“This one’s not a shell,” she said with cheer,
“It goes in the pile that’s over here!”
Chorus
Swim, swim, splash around,
Darla finds treasures on the ground!
Big ones, small ones, pink and blue,
She’s got a seashell just for you!
Verse 3
Sammy the seahorse came to see,
All of Darla’s shells by the coral tree.
They laughed and played through the sunny tide,
Sorting and swimming side by side!
Final Chorus
Swim, swim, splash around,
Darla finds treasures on the ground!
Sort and smile the whole day through,
Learning is fun when it’s shared with you!
🖍️ COLORING PAGE:
A cartoon dolphin swimming with a net collecting seashells of all shapes and sizes. This is available to purchase in our store. BUY "Darla The Dolphin Coloring Page"
💬 LET’S TALK ABOUT IT (TEACHER/PARENT PROMPTS):
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What shapes did Darla find?
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What makes a shell different from a toy dolphin?
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Can you describe your favorite shell?
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Why do you think people like to collect seashells?
👩🏫 PARENT RESOURCE TIP:
Bring the learning into real life: If you're near a beach or nature center, collect a few real shells together. Discuss textures, colors, and shapes using descriptive words. If you're landlocked, grab a $1 bag of craft shells from a dollar store or online shop. Even photos from books or the internet can serve as shell identification tools.
Extend the learning: You can even make a “Shell Journal” with your child by gluing a new shell picture on a page and writing down one thing about it each day:
“This shell is bumpy.”
“This shell has pink stripes.”
“This one is shaped like a spiral.”
This helps build early science observation and writing skills in a gentle, fun way.
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