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homemade craft

My kids love games, which is a great way to trick them into learning something. This classic fishing game not only works on their motor skills as they navigate around the "pond" of fish, but it can be used for letter learning, color matching, math, and much more.Learn more about water and the amazing creatures that live under the sea with the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/professions-marine-biologist-project-kit/5457" target="_self">Marine Biologist Starter Kit</a> from the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store" target="_self">KiwiCo Store</a>!

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Start by gathering up supplies. We used wooden sticks we had on hand from another project, but the thicker the stick, the more sturdy the fishing pole will be. We also used fold-over magnets so they would be easy to tie on. You could glue a magnet on if you needed to. (Make sure your child is old enough to know not to swallow magnets.) 

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First we cut out fish from the construction paper.

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Then the kids decorated the fish to their liking. This would also be the point where you could add numbers, letters, words, or anything else you want your kids to learn as they fish. 

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To make the fishing pole, we tied a string to the wooden dowel then taped around the string a few times. Then we tied on a magnet to the other end of the string.  

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To make the fish "catchable," we added paper clips to each fish. 

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We spread the fish out on the ground and the kids went fishing. I gave them challenges ("How many blue fish can you catch?") and they navigated around the pool to catch the right fish. 

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My five-year-old said this game was way better than real fishing. I agreed, and we spent the afternoon fishing in the living room. 

Construction Paper

string

stick

magnet 

paper clips (many)

Scissors

Markers

Tape

Magnetic Fishing Game

easy craft

painting

Create a sea-inspired masterpiece using materials you can find at home. The porthole transforms your wall into a window into the sea. Plus, you'll learn how to make your own scratch art surface. We made a bunch of portholes and hung them up so that the room looked like a submarine!

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Create your porthole frame by cutting out the center of one of your paper plates.

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On a plate without a hole, draw your favorite sea creatures in one solid color with a crayon. We chose a fish and a starfish! Color the rest of the space on the plate with a white crayon.Tip: Stack the plate with the hole on top of the plate you just colored to make sure you colored all the area you can see through the hole. 

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Color a thick layer of color over the previous layer. For the best effect, use a different color from the previous step.We used black to cover the starfish, orange to cover the fish, and blue to cover the white background.Experiment with different colors layer on top of one another. The scratch art will work as long as there are two layers of color. 

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You are ready to create your underwater scene. Use your penny to scratch designs such as fish, seaweeds, rocks, starfish, or whales! Use your imagination!Tip: Try using different materials, such as toothpicks, to scratch your designs.

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Once your art is complete, add your porthole frame with tape! Put the tape between the two plates along the edge so your porthole covers it. You can add bolts and other details to your porthole frame with your crayons. 

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Add a few pieces of masking tape to the back of the art and attach it to the wall. Enjoy the view out of your porthole! 

paper plates

scissors

crayons

coin

tape

Porthole Scratch Art

craft

quick craft

household craft

Ready to experiment with flight? Make your own fish flyers!

Download the printable <a href="https://icdn.kiwico.com/printables/Kiwi_Crate_Flipping_Fishies.pdf">here</a>&nbsp;& print it out.&nbsp;

Cut out the strips along the dotted lines.

For each strip, slip the two slits together to form a fish shape.&nbsp;

Throw your fishies up in the air and watch them twirl as they fall!

printable

Printable Flipping Fishies

decorations

For this project, I was inspired by a glass bowl that I had at home that kind of looked like a fishbowl. The idea of a glowing fishbowl made perfect sense because it was all the fun of staring at a pretty fish without any of the responsibilities of caring for a real fish. A little glow-in-the-dark glitter later, I had a fishbowl complete with seaweed that gave off a beautiful glow at night. Next time, I think I would add a little starfish or hermit crab so my fish had some more friends!

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Squeeze some glue onto a plate or water-resistant scrap paper. Use glue to paint the inside of the bowl or jar with squiggly seaweed lines and some blobby fish to create an underwater scene.Tip: The taller your jar or glass, the harder it will be to control the design near the bottom. A short, wide-mouthed container works best.

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Before the glue dries, pour some glow-in-the-dark glitter inside your bowl or jar. If the container has a lid, seal it well and shake it all around to coat the inside with glitter. If not, work over a trash can or sink (or other easily-cleaned surface) and gently tap the glitter around the inside of the container to coat it.

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If you also have glow-in-the-dark paint, you can add details and accents now, such as eyes for fish or speckles of color. We squeezed the paint directly onto the bowl from the tubes, but it's very easy to use way too much paint. Using a clean paintbrush would also be a good way to add the paint.Tip: Be careful not to disturb the glitter glue too much! If you have time to spare, you might wait for the glue to dry before this step.

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The hardest part: waiting. Leave your glowing fishbowl in the sun to dry so it can charge up its glowing powers!

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Once it's dry and charged up, turn off the lights to see your glowing fishbowl light up! After the colors fade, it can be recharged with sunlight or by holding it near a bright light for a few minutes.These same materials can be used to make lots of different scenes, not just a fishbowl. For extra artistic fun, try to create a galaxy or a glowing flower garden!

glass bowl

paint brush

glue

glow-in-the-dark glitter

glow-in-the-dark paint

Glowing Fishbowl

birthday party crafts

We had a dreary, rainy, stuck-inside kind of day the other day and my kids were itching for a colorful project.  I was hoping for something that wouldn't be too messy.  My kids loved this technique when we made pumpkins for Halloween, so I thought we'd adapt it to something a bit more colorful.  With just a few supplies, we made these fun, colorful fish to brighten up our windows and my preschoolers got to practice their fine motor skills coloring without worrying about staying in any lines.

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Gather all materials.  We used cookie sheets for the trays and put construction paper on top since I was out of newspaper. (You could also use paper towels to protect your workspace.)

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I gave each of the kids a coffee filter on a piece of construction paper and a collection of permanent markers.  The kids had a great time coloring their coffee filters.  Permanent markers are a rare treat in our house so they love to color with them.  The construction paper underneath saved the table from the markers bleeding through.

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After they finished coloring, we put the paper with their coffee filter on a cookie sheet and the kids sprayed their coffee filters with water.  This was great hand-strengthening exercise for my four-year-old.  We also got to see the colors blending together as they sprayed.

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We let ours dry overnight since my kids got a little carried away with the spraying and we wanted them to be completely dry for the next step.  Once they were dry, we cut a triangle out of the coffee filter for the fish's mouth.

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Then, the kids glued their triangles to the opposite side of the fish to make the tail fin.  

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They used markers to add scales and eyes to their fish.  Some of the younger kids used large googly eyes instead of markers since they had trouble drawing circles.

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The fish made colorful decorations for our windows to brighten up a rainy day!

coffee filter

markers

newspaper

Coffee Filter Fish

pretend play

animals

nature crafts

art project

indoor project

Are your kids as obsessed with underwater critters as mine are? They both love learning about fish, sea horses, and sharks, and just about anything else that lives in the big blue ocean. So these fun under-the-sea scenes made their day, and will surely be perfect for the sea-loving fan in your family. 

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Gather up your supplies. Since my kids love stickers, we decided to use some sea creature stickers, but you could use markers and let the kids draw their own critters. We also used scrapbook paper with a water print, but plain construction paper would work just fine. Glue the paper to the folder or card stock to create the base. 

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Give the kids their base to decorate however they wish. My kids loved adding their favorite sea creatures and creating their underwater scene. 

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While they were busy decorating, I added some blue paint to the plastic bag. It doesn't take much. then get out as much air as possible and seal the bag. 

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Once the kids were done decorating, we added the "seawater" (plastic bag of paint).

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Tape the bag to the scene and fold the top of the bag around to the back and tape it in place so the bag is nice and secure. Then squish and swoosh the "water" all around. 

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They can rub their finger across the sea creatures to find all of the animals. We talked about underwater discovery, and what it is like to scuba dive and find fun creatures. 

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We also used the playmat to learn how to spell out some of the different creatures, like "fish." Both kids loved playing with the paint, and--since it was safe and secure in the plastic bag--it was mess-free ocean play. 

Paper

plastic gallon bag / large ziplock bag

paint

stickers

folder or heavy card stock

Glue

Under the Sea Play Scene

There is something magical about watercolor pencils. When my children use them they are anticipating the final step the entire time -- the step when their drawing comes to life with a little bit of water. I thought an ocean scene would be perfect for this magical art experience.

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We have been reading a lot of ocean books lately, so this painting was very exciting for my five-year old to work on. She brought out a few of her books to use as a reference while drawing.

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She began to draw the ocean and all that she imagined to be in it. She loves to use watercolor pencils because they make her feel so grown up!

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Her drawing came out beautifully, but there was much more to come. 

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As she started to paint over her drawing with water, her eyes lit up and the picture really became a beautiful ocean in her sweet eyes.

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It's amazing how a few simple materials and a sweet child's imagination can make such a beautiful piece of art work. This is one I'll be saving for sure!

watercolor pencils

watercolor paper

water

Watercolor Ocean Scene

These scaly fish are even more fun to make than they are to look at!  Maybe you'd even like to make a beautiful sea for them to swim in....

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One of my kids' favorite ways to create is to paint.  And we paint pretty often, so we're always interested in new techniques and mediums.  Combine that with fish, and it will surely be something we'll love!

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Our fish will be displayed on a background we made--we just cut a piece of cardboard, squirted on paints, and painted the cardboard with combs, making texture and ocean waves.  We sculpted our fish--an angler fish, a puffer fish, and a gold fish.  

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Natural clay is easy to work with... if you need to smooth it, just rub spots with a wet finger. Maddie thinks popping your finger in your mouth does a fine job, but I find a tiny bowl of water more effective!

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We let our fish dry for just a few minutes, then started painting.

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Here comes the very best part!  You can let your paint dry for a while, if you want your design to come through. Or, if you're impatient and excited like us, then grab your mesh and put a rag in it.  You can either pat your wet paint, or put a small amount of new color on your mesh-covered rag, and start lightly blotting.  If the mesh is coarse, it will make a really great fish scale pattern on your fish!

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Some kids (like my son, the creator of the dreaded angler fish) may choose to to leave their creations looking fierce and undecorated... 

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...and some (like my daughter, who's a glitter-and-sparkles sort of gal) may want a few sequins and sparkles to liven things up.  Happy fishing! 

10 at-home fish projects for kids

Screen-free fun!