Sting Rays – Kids
Fresh water sting rays have surprisingly strong jaws which crush through the shells of their main food source – crustaceans. They are also equipped with a flesh piercing barb at the end of their tail to protect against their predators. If this stinger is harmed, they simply grow a new one!
Activities
Activity 1 - Add the Stingrays
Activity 2 - Fresh Water versus Salt Water Experiment
Fresh water stingrays live in the rivers of the Amazon Rainforest. Rivers are freshwater bodies of water, meaning that they have very little salt or no salt at all. Rivers are important because they provide us with food, water and transportation routes.
1) Fill two tall drinking glasses ¾ full with tap water.
2) Add 4 tablespoons of salt to one of the glasses and stir until the salt has completely dissolved.
3) Place an egg in each glass and see what happens!
Why does the egg sink in the fresh water (tap water), but float in the saltwater? It’s because salt water is denser (or heavier) then fresh water. Salt water is denser because it has more molecules per square centimeter and it is able to hold the egg up. In the case of the fresh water, the egg is denser (or heavier) then the fresh water and sinks to the bottom.
This explains why it is much easier for a person to float on their backs in the ocean than in a lake!
Activity 3 - Play Water Creature BINGO
HOW TO PLAY
1) Read one of the interesting facts about the water creatures of the Amazon.
2) Guess which creature on your BINGO sheet the fact concerns.
3) If you guess correctly, place a marker on the BINGO space.
4) Keep reading interesting facts until you get a BINGO!
Download this fun activity
Water Creature BINGO Card
BINGO Facts
BINGO Answers
Activity 4 - Create your own Amazon River Habitat
Did you know that there are so many rivers in the world that no one has been able to count them all?
Design and draw your own Amazon river habitat with as many trees, plants, fish, stingrays, turtles, caimans and any other Amazon river creatures you choose.
Be creative – you can add waterfalls, rainbows, whatever takes your fancy.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BECOME AN EARTH PROTECTOR!
Help keep our waterways clean by:
- Picking up litter on your local beach or along a public river or stream.
- Making sure your family takes unused/expired pharmaceuticals back to the pharmacy so they can be disposed of properly and not end up in our water ways.