First-School.ws
Sand Dollar Learning and Printable Activities

Materials:

• printer
• paper or card stock or print directly to light sandy pastel colors
• coloring tools for B&W template
• scissors
• glue stick
• crafts listed may require additional materials

Let's explore the beach and discover the secret life of sand dollars, from the beautiful "flower" skeletons we find on the shore to the amazing living creatures they are! Get ready for a shell-ebration of learning and fun as we uncover some fascinating facts about these flat sea urchins.

When you find a sand dollar in the sand by the seashore, it is the hard, flat skeleton of a kind of sea urchin, often found bleached white on the beach.

Activity: Learn about the Sand Dollar:

• Animal Group: Sand dollars are a type of sea urchin, belonging to the group Echinodermata (equinoderms). This group also includes starfish, sea cucumbers, and brittle stars. They're all characterized by their five-part radial symmetry.
• Underwater Behavior: When alive and underwater, a sand dollar burrows into the sand, standing on its edge. It uses tiny, hair-like spines to move and to filter food particles, like algae and plankton, from the water.
• Physical Characteristics: Living sand dollars are covered in a carpet of very fine, velvety spines. These spines are often a purplish or brownish color. When found on the beach, these spines have worn away, revealing the smooth, hard skeleton (called a test).
• Mouth: A sand dollar's mouth is on its underside, in the center of the five-petal pattern.
• Shape and Texture: The skeleton is flat and circular, resembling a large coin. The surface is smooth but can have a slightly rough or velvety feel.
• Star Pattern: A key feature is the five-petal star or flower design in the center. This pattern marks the locations of the animal's feeding grooves.
• Small Holes: You might notice five small holes (called lunules) around the edge of the star pattern, and a larger hole in the center. These holes are part of the sand dollar's body structure.
• Resource: Sand dollar · Sea urchin @ wikipedia.org

Letter S sand dollar activities

Ocean · Seashore > Sand dollar >