Also See: Beach & Ocean, Summer
Fish
Added: 06-24-1998
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Colored Construction paper, Glue, water, plastic cup, Paint Brush, Tissue paper, and Scissors.
Directions: Give each child a precut fish from construction paper. Let them choose the color they want. Then mix a little glue and a little water in a cup. Give each child a paint brush. Then they can use this mixture to stick on tissue paper squares.
Ocean Pictures
Added: 11-09-1998
Submitted by: jiannyiliu@
Need: Gold fish crackers, gummy sharks, tissue papers, blue construction paper, Glue, water
Directions: First, ask the students draw as many sea animals they can think on a construction paper. Second, cut tissue paper in stripes as seaweed and use glue water to glue them on the paper. Third, use gold fish crackers, gummy sharks to decorate the picture.
Starfish
Added: 03-28-1999
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Blue paper, glue, and cornmeal
Directions: Draw a starfish on blue paper.
Apply glue to the inside of the starfish shape, and then sprinkle on cornmeal.
Let dry and remove the excess meal.
Fish
Added: 03-28-1999
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Paper, paint brush, glue, and crayons
Directions: Provide each child with a piece of paper with the shape of a fish drawn on it. Have the children tear small pieces of paper, to be glued on the fish to represent scales. It will be easier for the children to tear all the paper first. With a paint brush, paint the glue onto the fish shape. The children can then place the “scales” on the fish. Facial features can be added when the scales are dry.
Jellyfish
Added: 03-28-1999
Original Author: Unknown
Need: paper plate, paint, and streamers
Directions: Paint a paper plate red. Attach long red streamers to the bottom. Hang from the ceiling in the classroom.
Starfish Rubbings
Added: 03-31-1999
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Sandpaper, Construction paper, crayons
Directions: Cut a bunch of starts out of sandpaper. Lots of different sizes and different grades of sandpaper. Give each child a plain sheet of construction paper and crayons. Tape the stars around the tables and the kids can walk around and rub on anyone they want.
Oatmeal Octopus
Added: 03-31-1999
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Powder paint, oatmeal, sandwich bags, paper
Directions: Get a variety of colored powder paint and lots of oatmeal. Give each child a small sandwich bag with some oatmeal in it. Let them choose any color powder paint and put about a tablespoon of paint into the bag, close and shake!!! Do this for all the colors you want. When you are ready to do the project give each child an octopus pattern and their choice of colored oatmeal. Spread the glue and put the oatmeal on!
Rainbow Fish
Added: 03-31-1999
Original Author: Unknown
Need: A Balloon, paper strips, glue, paint, fabric, fishing line, and a dowel
Directions: Blow up a balloon. Cover it with paper strips and glue until it is solid. Cut out mouth at end….paint all silvery blue. Make the scales from some iridescent fabric, glue these all over the body. Add same for tail and fins. Then attach two fishing line strings from near mouth/tail to a piece of dowel-the Rainbow Fish puppet.
Underwater Scene
Added: 05-27-1999
Original Author: Unknown
Need: paper plate, paper, blue wrap
Directions: Have children decorate a paper plate with underwater scene–cut-out paper fish, painted fish on plate, whatever they like. Cover the plate with the blue wrap (like Saran Wrap).
Jellyfish
Added: 04-06-2000
Submitted by: Dawn O’Malley
Need: Paper plates, streamers
Directions: Take a paper plate. Cut it in half. Have children glue or tape streamers onto the plate (the Strait Side). Then staple the two halves together.
Shark
Added: 06-19-2000
Original Author: Unknown
Need: envelope, scissors, markers
Directions: Take a long white envelope seal it. Cut one end off. Cut a triangle on the other end for a mouth. Use the triangle for a fin, glue it on top. At the mouth cut or draw teeth. Draw on an eye. Slide your hand into the envelope. A Puppet shark!!!
Submerine’s Port Hole
Added: 06-19-2000
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Two cheap paper plates, Scissors, Glue, Stapler, Crayons/Markers/Paint, Plastic Wrap, Sand/Cornmeal, Pebbles, Yarn, sponge, tissues, fabric, Shells (macaroni or real), Fish (crackers, gummies, etc.)
Directions: Color Center of one plate to look like water. We painted ours a pretty blue.
Glue sand/cornmeal and pebbles to the bottom of the water. Using pieces of yarn, sponge, tissue, etc., create sea plants and animals. Glue in your fish. Cut out center portion of other plate, leaving the rim intact. Glue plastic wrap across cut out portion to form the porthole’s glass. Staple the two plates together, rim to rim, with the water scene inside.
Dolphins
Added: 06-26-2000
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Dolphin pattern, light gray paper, water colors
Directions: Cut a dolphin pattern out of light gray construction paper. And let the kids water color them. If you have never water colored on construction paper it is neat, because the colors blend into one another!
Puff Paint a Fish
Added: 06-26-2000
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Flour, salt, water, food coloring, paper, paintbrushes
Directions: Mix equal amounts of flour, salt, and water. Then add food coloring. Cut out a big starfish or a Flounder and add eyes. Have the children paint with the mixture. It will change as it dries.
Underwater Scene
Added: 06-26-2000
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Paper, crayons, paintbrush, blue paint
Directions: Draw a picture of an underwater scene with crayons & paint over it with a thin wash of blue tempera.
Ocean Life
Added: 06-26-2000
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Newsprint, tempera paint, straws
Directions: Using crayons, children draw fish on a large piece of newsprint. When they have finished, have children blow watered-down tempera paint onto the paper with straws.
Handprint Octopus
Added: 02-27-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: paper, paint
Directions: Paint each palm and finger the same color (excluding the thumbs.) One hand at a time, you place it on the paper, slightly overlapping. When you are done you will have an octopus with all eight legs.
Paper Octopus
Added: 02-27-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Paper plate, paint, streamers
Directions: Cut a paper plate in half. Glue eight streamers on the back for tentacles. The kids can color the plate to match the color of the streamers or use whatever color they want.
Paper Bag Whale
Added: 04-29-01
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Small paper bags, paint, construction paper (black and white), yarn, newspaper
Directions: Have children stuff bags with newspaper. Tie the end with yarn and create the tail.
Paint the bag gray or any other whale colors (black and white, etc.).
Cut eyes out of construction paper & glue onto bag when paint is dry.
Cut out spout shapes from white construction paper and glue to the top.
Thumbprint Fish
Added: 04-29-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Stamp pad, fingers, markers & crayons
Directions: Have children press their fingers onto a stamp pad & stamp fingers onto paper. Add features such as fins.
Fish
Added: 04-29-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Bubble wrap, glue, colored tissue paper
Directions: Take bubble wrap and cut out two fish shapes and glue both pieces together leaving an opening to stuff. Fill the fish with colored tissue paper and then seal the opening. Hang these from the ceiling and you have a room full of beautiful rainbow fish!
Shark Teeth Art
Added: 04-29-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Paper, markers
Directions: Give each of your children an oval cut out of gray construction paper. Set out felt-tip markers, glue and white construction paper tooth shapes. (Like triangles) Glue the tooth shapes on their ovals where the mouth would be. Add eyes with the markers.
Spaghetti Ocean
Added: 05-06-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Spaghetti, blue and green food dye. paper, crayons
Directions: Dye cooked spaghetti blue and green. Have paper available for the children. As the children put the spaghetti on the paper (9out of 10 times they will squish it), the dye leaves a mark on the paper (but not on the kids!). After they have done that they could draw animals that live in the ocean if they so choose. Do not let the children eat the spaghetti. While it will not harm them, they will wind up with dies teeth and mouths.
See-Through Ocean Scene
Added: 05-06-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Newsprint, crayons, baby oil, cotton
Directions: Have the children draw on a piece of newsprint paper an ocean animal scene with crayons. When finished use a cotton ball with baby oil and cover the paper with the oil. Allow the picture to dry for several days and the end result will be a bright transparent ocean scene.
Mural
Added: 05-06-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Blue paint, Butcher paper, colored construction paper
Directions: Paint butcher paper blue, let the kids tear colored construction paper to be the seaweed and coral and glue it on, then you can glue on your paper plate fish and other art projects or else draw fish directly on. for added effect you could cover with blue or clean cellophane when done.
Colored Sand and Salt Shakers
Added: 05-06-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Salt shakers, powdered tempera paint, sand, paper, glue, crayons
Directions: Gather several salt shakers and fill each with a mixture of equal parts of clean sand and powdered tempera paint. Set the salt shakers, along with construction paper and glue, on a table. Allow the kids to use the glue to make ocean animal designs on their papers and then cover them with different salt shaker mixtures.
Finger-painting
Added: 05-06-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: green paint, blue paint, shaving cream, paper, smocks, combs
Directions: Finger-paint with green, blue tinted shaving cream, offering various “combs” to drag through and make ripples. Do this on smooth trays or a table, and take a print when they’ve finished playing and experimenting. To take a print, just take a piece of paper and place it over the shaving cream creation, press firmly, then list.
Paper Plate Oysters
Added: 05-06-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: paper plates, cotton balls, gray paint, pink paint, glue
Directions: Gather a paper plate and a cotton ball for each child. The kids should fold the plates in half and paint the insides of the “oyster” pink. When the pink is dried they should paint the outside of the plate gray. To complete they can glue the “pearl” (Cotton) into the center of the oyster.
Tissue Paper Fish
Added: 05-06-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: paper plates, tissue paper, scissors and glue
Directions: Pre-mark one paper plate for each child with a pie-shaped wedge (for the tail). Instruct each child to cut along the lines to remove the wedge. Next, staple the pointed side of the wedge to the opposite end of the plate to form the tail. Give each child several pieces of colored tissue paper and have him tear them into pieces about 1″X1″. Have each decorate the fish by gluing the pieces on. You could also use colored cellophane paper. This fish looks like the Rainbow Fish.
Fish in a Box!
Added: 05-06-2001
Submitted by: Anonymous Visitor
Need: One empty shoebox per child, string, construction paper (various colors), cling wrap
Directions: Make an underwater scene from construction paper, seaweed, colorful fish (2 or 3) a blue background for the water, starfish, octopus, etc… Glue the blue background to the inside of the shoe box, you will not need the lid to the shoebox. Have the children glue on the pictures of the ocean life, except for the 2 or 3 fish that you cut out or colored. After decorating the background, tape a piece a string or yarn to the back of each of the fish and then tape the other end of the string to the upper, inside of the shoebox. The fish are swimming 3-D in the box now. Cover the outside of the box with cling wrap and you have an underwater scene with tropical fish!
Paper Bag Fish
Added: 07-08-2001
Submitted by: Anonymous Visitor
Need: Paper bag, stapler, rubber band, scrap paper, and paint
Directions: Lay a plain paper bag down flat. Leave the bottom folded up and fold in the corners of the bottom of the bag and staple in place to form the fishes snout. Loosely stuff the sack with scrap paper and close the end with a rubber band. Slide it up a couple of inches and spread out the end to make the tail. Let the children paint their fish any way they want.
Sea Urchins
Added: 07-08-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: clay, toothpicks, paper plate
Directions: Use hardening clay and toothpicks. Dye the toothpicks purple or a dark blue. Also color the dough. Break the toothpicks in half and stick the broken ends into the clay. Cover the top and sides with toothpicks. Leave on a plate to dry.
Bubble Wrap Jelly Fish
Added: 07-08-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Blue or white bubble wrap, crepe paper
Directions: Have the children cut a circle of bubble wrap. Then glue cut pieces of crepe paper. They look cute hanging from the ceiling.
Fish Tank
Added: 07-08-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Take a card board box open on one side and have the children paint the inside blue and then give each child a precut fish (or have them design their own) have the children decorate the fish with glitter, sequins, feathers, whatever is on hand. Then suspend the fish with fishing wire from the fish tank. It will look like the fish are swimming. Allow the children to add things to the tank like rocks, plants etc.
Octopus
Added: 07-21-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: 1 brown paper lunch sack per child, labeled, 1 rubber bands per child, white paper reinforcements, marker, newspaper, scissors
Directions: Have the child scrunch up a piece of newspaper and place it inside the paper bag. Tightly wrap the rubber band around the bag at the base of the newspaper. Cut up the bag to make eight strips for octopus tentacles. Use a marker to draw octopus’s eyes and mouth on head. Stick reinforcements on the tentacles.
Egg Carton Octopus
Added: 07-21-2001
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Egg Carton, paint, yarn, and paper
Directions: Glue together two cup sections from the bottom of a cardboard egg carton, and let them dry. Cover them with black paint. Attach eight yarn tentacles with glue to the bottom. Cut eyes and a mouth from paper, and glue them in place.
Crabs
Added: 04-05-2002
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Paper plates, sand, egg cartons, glue, paper
Directions: Cover the entire paper plate with glue. Then sprinkle sand generously over the plate. Fold the plate in half. Take a cardboard egg carton and cut two sections from it. Glue it to the paper plate for eyes. Add paper legs.
Alternative: Make red sand to give the crab a little color. See the recipe here.
Mermaids
Added: 04-21-2002
Original Author: Unknown
Need: paper, paint, paint brush, collage material, and glue
Directions: pre-cut a mermaids tail. Have the children us collage materials to decorate the tail. Paste the tail onto a piece of paper .The body, head, arms, etc… can be painted/drawn on the paper, after the tail dries. The boys loved adding a trident to their King Neptune.
Octopus
Added: 05-12-2002
Original Author: Unknown
Need: napkins, tissue paper, yarn, scissors
Directions: Crumble up some paper napkins and put them in the middle of tissue paper. Then gather the sides of the tissue up and tie a piece of yarn around the middle so that the napkin forms the shape of the octopus’ body. Use scissors to cut the fringe into strips to create tentacles. Hang from ceiling.
Jelly Fish Handprints
Added: 05-12-2002
Original Author: Unknown
Need: napkins, tissue paper, yarn, scissors
Directions: Paint each child’s hand with a light pink paint. Press the painted hand onto a piece of paper. Turn the hand the fingers are pointed down. Add eyes to the head of the jelly fish.
Flashy Fish
Added: 05-19-2002
Original Author: Unknown
Need: colored foil, colored tissue paper, paper, scissors, glue, black sticker, paper clip, hole punch, and string
Directions: Have children glue oval shaped tissue paper and foil pieces onto a white construction paper fish shape. Attach a black dot sticker to resemble the eye. Punch a hole near the mouth of the fish. Put a paper clip through the hole in the mouth then attach to the rope. To display, suspend a length of rope from your ceiling, then attach your fish like you would on a stringer.
Toothpaste Aquariums
Added: 05-19-2002
Original Author: Unknown
Need: Zip-lock bag, blue sparkle toothpaste, gummy fish
Directions: Get a small snack-size zip-lock bag and put blue sparkle toothpaste in it. Then add a couple gummy fish. Close the bag and let them squish!