Celebrate Ocean Day: Explore, Create, and Protect

By TINA KHATRI

Every year on June 8th, we celebrate World Ocean Day—a moment to appreciate the vast, vibrant oceans that cover more than 70% of our planet and sustain countless forms of life. Oceans give us food, regulate our climate, and even provide the air we breathe, yet they face serious challenges: pollution, overfishing, and climate change threaten their delicate balance.

Today, we can connect with the sea in playful and meaningful ways. Whip up a bright bowl of Palak Chano, craft colourful bottle-cap crabs, or dive into an ocean-themed crossword, discovering whales, sharks, and glowing fish. Each activity is more than fun—it’s a reminder of the richness of marine life and the care it deserves.

This Ocean Day, let’s celebrate creativity, curiosity, and the wonder of the oceans while reflecting on the importance of protecting them. Every small act—learning, creating, or simply noticing—is a way to honour the blue heart of our planet.

Palak Chano

Ingredients:

• 1 can (400g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups fresh spinach, washed and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 green chili, finely chopped
• 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 fresh lemon

Instructions:

1. Rinse and drain one can of chickpeas and put them into a medium microwave-safe bowl.
2. Finely chop two cups of fresh spinach and add them to the chickpeas.
3. In a separate small microwave-safe bowl or mug, mix one tablespoon of oil, half a teaspoon of cumin seeds, chopped green chilies, and a pinch of hing.
4. Microwave this small oil and spice mix for 45 to 60 seconds until the seeds sizzle and smell fragrant.
5. Carefully pour the hot oil mix over the chickpeas and spinach, add half a teaspoon of salt, and stir well.
6. Cover the big bowl with a microwave-safe plate or a damp paper towel.
7. Microwave the covered bowl on high for one and a half to two minutes until the spinach wilts down and turns bright green.
8. Remove the cover, stir everything together, and let the snack cool down to room temperature.
9. Squeeze the juice of half a fresh lemon over the top right before eating.

Guess who?

I wear a furry coat but never need a tailor,
I spend my days in rivers and I'm quite the playful sailor.
I float on my back and crack my snacks with ease,
Who am I, drifting happily with the breeze?

Crabby times

Supplies:

• Colourful plastic bottle caps
• Sturdy plastic cups or thin containers
• Empty medicine blister pack
• White paper or card
• Black marker or pen
• Scissors
• Strong glue

Steps:

1. Wash and dry bottle caps for crab shells.
2. Cut 8 thin, curved strips from cups for legs.
3. Cut 2 wider strips for pincers.
4. Bend legs in the middle to form joints.
5. Glue 4 legs on each side inside the cap rim.
6. Glue pincers near the front rim.
7. Flip crab upright to stand.
8. Cut 2 clear bubbles from blister pack for eyes.
9. Trim edges of bubbles for gluing.
10. Draw black dots on white paper for pupils.
11. Place pupils inside bubbles.
12. Glue eyes onto front of crab shell.

Oceanic Crossword

ACROSS

• 2. Fat layer that keeps some marine mammals warm
• 5. Fish use these to breathe oxygen from the water
• 6. Name for a group of whales
• 9. Ocean dwellers that lay eggs and have bones
• 11. What a shark has instead of bones
• 12. A shark has several rows of these
• 13. What younger whales are called
• 14. Marine animals with soft bodies and no backbone

DOWN

• 1. Small creatures that look like shrimp
• 2. How a whale or dolphin breathes
• 3. Largest animal in the world
• 4. Bioluminescent animals make their own
• 5. Clams, oysters and scallops are all …
• 6. Ocean dwellers that birth live babies and nurse their young

Solution Directory:
Across: 2. blubber, 5. gills, 6. pod, 9. fish, 11. cartilage, 12. teeth, 13. calves, 14. invertebrates
Down: 1. krill, 3. blowhole, 4. blue whale, 7. light, 8. shellfish, 10. Mammals

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