World Sea Turtle Day (June 16): Activities for Kids and Classrooms

World Sea Turtle Day is June 16. Sea Turtle Conservancy connects the date with the birthday of turtle researcher Archie Carr; its Tortuguero team describes celebrating with visitors, learning and games. Sea Turtle Conservancy's celebration report.

It is different from World Turtle Day on May 23, created by American Tortoise Rescue in 2000 and covering turtles and tortoises more broadly. World Turtle Day's organizers.

Six activities for a class or family

These are our activity suggestions. Choose one or combine them into a lesson; they work on other days of the year too.

1. Make a species gallery. Choose from the species profiles. Draw one turtle and add a fact with its source.
2. Build a question sheet. Use the worksheet builder, then compare answers together.
3. Color and investigate. Print a coloring page. Treat its illustration as an art activity and use a species profile to check real anatomy.
4. Play, then question the model. Try a game. Write down one thing it teaches and one thing it simplifies.
5. Plan a supervised local activity. Explore our volunteer directory with an adult. Check the organizer's current dates, age requirements, access arrangements and safety instructions before going.
6. Create a source-backed poster. Give the poster one clear message. Include the source and date checked, and avoid claims such as “every turtle is endangered” without naming a species and assessment.

A simple lesson plan

Spend five minutes choosing a question, fifteen minutes investigating it, and ten minutes presenting what you learned. End with one question you still cannot answer. That unfinished question can become the next lesson.

You do not need to buy something, share a child's personal information, or approach a wild turtle to take part. For a reusable starting point, visit the teachers' resources.