Octopus Activity for Kids: Build a LEGO Octopus with Bricks You Already Have!

Ready for a unique and engaging lesson covering even more octopus STEM activities? One easy way to add a quick and easy engineering project to your octopus STEM activities is by doing this octopus activity for kids making a LEGO octopus! Using vibrant LEGO bricks, your students can build their own mini LEGO octopus, which is a fun way to open a STEM unit or STEM lesson learning about the captivating creatures called “octopus” that inhabit the ocean’s depths.

Keep reading to get the step-by-step instructions for how to build a LEGO octopus.

But before you get the LEGO octopus building instructions, check out how you can take this simple LEGO octopus building activity and turn it into a STEM lesson that you can use with kids of all ages in the classroom.

LEGO is one of our favorite tools to use in the STEM classroom, and that’s why we created a LEGO octopus as a lesson in our octopus STEM activities.

LEGO Octopus: Octopus Activity for Kids

Keep reading to find out how you can create an octopus STEM lesson plan while your students work on this LEGO octopus activity for kids.

What Can Kids Learn by Doing the LEGO Octopus Activity?

Adding LEGO play to your classroom opens up a world of awesome benefits that are way more than just having a good time.

LEGO helps students to sharpen their fine motor skills, all while promoting cool hand-eye coordination as they play with those little, colorful bricks.

It’s a creativity powerhouse that lets students’ imaginations run wild, sparks their innovative thinking, and boosts their problem-solving skills – making learning an exciting journey of discovery.

Plus, LEGO is a superstar when it comes to teamwork and collaboration. It gets students working together on projects, enhancing their communication and social skills.

LEGO can also be used in the STEM classroom, offering hands-on experiences in physics, engineering, and design as students learn about concepts like structure, balance, and symmetry.

LEGO is not just a toy; it’s an all-around educational superhero that turns learning into a fun, engaging, and hands-on STEM experience that will foster a lifetime love of STEM in your students.

What Bricks Do I Need to Make the LEGO Apple Tree?

You can create this simple LEGO apple tree using traditional LEGO bricks, and you don’t need any special pieces at all!

That makes this LEGO apple tree activity for kids one of my favorites.

You likely have enough LEGO bricks for your whole class to design their own LEGO apple tree.

If not, here are some of my favorite places to get more LEGO bricks without spending a lot!

As a STEM educator, I prefer to buy pre-owned LEGO bricks in bulk.

This method is not only more budget-friendly than buying brand-new sets, but used sets often have many more pieces that are perfect for classroom LEGO projects.

I’ve found great deals on bulk LEGO pieces on Etsy.

• LEGO bricks by the pound
• 3 pound LEGO brick lot
• Small LEGO pieces by the pound

Octopus Shirts for Teachers

Check out these super fun octopus shirts you can wear during your octopus lessons!

How to Use the LEGO Octopus in a STEM Lesson

Here are some octopus STEM extensions that you can use with your students while doing this octopus activity for kids.

Buoyancy Exploration

Students can experiment with their LEGO octopus to explore the principle of buoyancy.

They can alter the weight, density, and shape of the octopus to see how it impacts its ability to float or sink in water, learning about principles such as center of mass, equilibrium, and displacement.

Engineering Design Challenge

Students can design and build extra components for their LEGO octopus, like a pulley system or a pair of rotating arms, to mimic its underwater movement.

This will help students learn about engineering principles, such as levers, gears, and mechanical advantage.

Coding and Robotics

By using programmable LEGO elements from sets like the LEGO Education WeDo kit or the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox, students can animate their octopus.

They can code different movements, patterns, or actions for their octopus, enhancing their understanding of computational thinking and programming logic.

Habitat Construction

As part of an environmental science lesson, students could design and build a model of an octopus’s natural habitat using LEGO bricks.

This could include caves for hiding, representations of food sources, and any other relevant features.

Storytelling and Animation

As part of a multimedia project, students could use their LEGO octopus as a character in a stop-motion animation.

This combines elements of technology, engineering, and art, while encouraging creativity and storytelling.

Mathematical Concepts

Using the LEGO octopus, students can explore various mathematical concepts.

For example, they could calculate the volume of their LEGO octopus by counting the number of individual bricks used. They could also explore ratios by comparing the size of their LEGO octopus to a real one.

Octopus STEM Kits

These octopus STEM kits teach kids how different parts of an octopus works and offer another fun hands-on octopus STEM activity for kids to learn about the amazing octopus!

Other Octopus STEM Activities for Kids

If you’d like to add more octopus-themed fun to your classroom, here are some other fun octopus STEM activities to try!

In addition to our complete list of octopus activities, here are some of our other octopus STEM activities that have been hits in the classroom!

• Clever Octopus Camouflage STEM Activity
• Exciting Under the Sea Octopus STEM Activities for Kids!
• Why Doesn’t An Octopus Have Bones?
• Octopus Activity Book for Kids

Must-Have STEM Supplies for the Classroom

Find a list of our favorite STEM supplies for the classroom from our affiliate partners below!

Fun Octopus Facts for Kids

Here are some fun octopus facts to share with your students while they make their LEGO octopus designs!

Octopuses don’t have bones

Octopuses are invertebrates, which means they have no bones. Their boneless bodies enable them to squeeze into tiny crevices and spaces where predators can’t reach.

An octopus has three hearts

Two of these hearts, known as branchial hearts, pump blood to the gills where it gets oxygenated. The third heart, the systemic heart, pumps the oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

When an octopus swims, the systemic heart stops beating, which explains why octopuses prefer to crawl rather than swim, using swimming only as a means to escape predators.

Octopuses have blue blood

To survive in deep water, octopuses evolved a copper-based blood rather than iron-based blood like humans have, which turns its blood blue.

Octopus Books for the Classroom

Here are some of our favorite non-fiction octopus books for kids to learn more fun facts about octopuses!

An octopus is a disguise genius

Octopuses can change the color and texture of their skin to match their environment in just seconds, making it hard for predators to find them.

An octopus has 9 brains: An octopus has a central brain and also additional small brains in each of its eight arms.

These “arm brains” allow the octopus to process information and control movements in its arms independently, giving it a remarkable ability to multitask.

Octopuses are smart

Octopuses are widely regarded as one of the most intelligent non-human species.

They have both short- and long-term memory capabilities, and they can learn from both observation and experience.

Octopuses have been observed opening jars to get to food inside, navigating mazes, and using tools to their advantage.

Octopuses have even been known to unscrew lids, dismantle equipment, and find clever ways to escape their enclosures, demonstrating complex cognitive behaviors such as foresight and planning.

Most octopuses have venom

All octopuses, except one species (the Cirroteuthidae), have venom that they use to paralyze their prey.

Octopuses lay thousands of eggs

The female octopus lays between 20,000 and 80,000 eggs at a time. She guards and cares for them until they hatch, which takes about six months, during which the mother octopus does not eat.

Once the eggs hatch, the mother octopus usually dies from exhaustion and starvation.

Due to predators and other factors, of the tens of thousands of eggs that each female octopus lays, only about 2 survive long enough to continue the octopus life cycle.

Octopuses are strong swimmers

Octopuses can jet-propel themselves by expelling water from their bodies, reaching speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. However, many octopuses prefer to walk.

Octopuses have short lives

Depending on the species, octopuses can live from as little as six months to as long as a few years. The Giant Pacific Octopus, one of the longest-living species, can live up to five years.

An octopus has excellent vision

Despite living in the deep ocean, octopuses have good eyesight and can detect polarized light, which enhances their perception of contrast and improves their ability to detect prey and predators.

Octopus Lesson Resources

Use these octopus classroom supplies and products to go along with your octopus STEM lessons!

What Do I Need to Make a Simple LEGO Octopus?

Here is what you need for this LEGO octopus activity for kids:

• 30+ 2X4 LEGO bricks (any color)
• 20+ 2X2 LEGO bricks (matching color)
• 2 eyeball stickers or LEGO bricks with eyeballs
• Blue LEGO baseplate

If you are missing any pieces, here are some LEGO sets that contain all of the necessary pieces.

• Classic LEGO Bricks and Animals
• 1601 Piece Classic LEGO Brick Set
• LEGO Separator Tool

LEGO Octopus Building Directions

Here are the printable step-by-step directions for how to build a LEGO octopus from classic LEGO bricks!

Must-Have Supplies for the Classroom

Check out these must-have resources and supplies for the classroom and grab anything you’re missing from one of our affiliate partners.

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