Save the Turtle Day

On 23rd of May we can celebrate World Turtle Day – an opportunity to raise awareness about turtles and tortoises and what we can do to help protect these incredible reptiles and their homes. It was started by the American Tortoise Rescue over 23 years ago. Whilst World turtle day celebrates sea turtles and tortoises, this blog post will primarily focus on providing resources about sea turtles.

We have been fascinated sea turtles and tortoises for centuries. They have roamed the Earth for over 200 million years. Sadly they face many threats such as habitat loss, pollution and the illegal wildlife trade. 

Did you know that we get sea turtles in UK waters? In total 5 of the 7 species of sea turtle have been encountered in UK waters these are; Leatherback, Green, Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Kemp’s Ridley. In fact the largest species, the Leatherback sea turtle, visits UK waters every summer to feed on jellyfish. It is rarer to encounter the other species as they are usually juveniles caught in the current from warmer seas. 

To help celebrate World Turtle day, I’ve rounded up some fantastic free resources from around the world to help you learn more about these amazing reptiles. 

Information, Activities and Printables 

Official World Turtle Day website

Check out the office world turtle day for activities, info and more:

https://www.worldturtleday.org

Tortoise trust

You can support the UK’s tortoise trust who promote the welfare, conservation, and protection of both tortoises and sea turtles. 

https://www.tortoisetrust.com

The Marine Conservation Society

There is a wealth of resources including what to do if you encounter an ill or trapped or sea turtle on their website.

https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/citizen-science/sightings/marine-turtles-in-uk-seas

See Turtles

Is a conservation programme sharing information and activities for both young and older children. 

https://www.seeturtles.org/sea-turtle-facts

https://www.seeturtles.org/lessons

The Sea Turtle Conservancy

Has an education corner full of free printables:

https://conserveturtles.org/education-kids-corner-downloads/

Childrens Books

Although there are lots of amazing chapter and picture storybooks for children about sea turtles, the one I really want to recommend is Sarah Roberts’ ‘Somebody swallowed Stanley” which illustrates why we need to stop using plastic and protect sea turtles habitats in a really powerful but simple way that is easy to understand. 

https://www.sarahrobertsofficial.com/somebody-swallowed-stanley

Videos

Greenpeace and Aardman created a short film in 2022 highlighting the importance of sea turtles and why we need to protect their homes. It’s titled “turtle journey” and can be found here. 

There are resources for 7-11 year olds to compliment the short film here:  https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/resources/turtle-journey-education-resource/

There are other animated films and nature fims/docufilms out there, but I haven’t watched them to be able to give you a true recommendation of whether or not they are suitable for younger children.

Craft ideas

I am aiming to share some crafting activities and ideas over the week. Follow @curiouskin_uk on instagram to see.