With summer upon us and a beach trip fast approaching, our family decided that a marine life themed week was in order. Now that school is out, our themed weeks mostly consist of a time in the mornings that we call "learning TV" and one simple craft or activity before lunch. Learning TV lands right at morning snack time and often involves an episode of Magic School Bus. This week, however, we shifted to Wild Kratts, the fantastic show on PBS that focuses on adaptations of different species, calling them "creature powers." The kids learned about sharks and sting rays and lobsters, oh my!
Octopus:
Our first creature craft was a little octopus. Amazing octopus adaptations include camouflage, jet propulsion and arm regeneration! So cool! With the four year old, we simply focused on making sure our little guy had eight legs.
To make an octopus, you will need paper, scissors, markers and/or googly eyes, tape and/or a stapler, and a roll of streamers or strips of thin paper.
Start by cutting a portion of your paper away across the bottom to make your octopus head shorter. Next, cut angles sections out of the top of the paper. These will come together to form the top of the head when you are finished.
Cut some pieces of tape and streamer (or thin paper) for your little one, and let him or her count out eight tentacles to attach to the back side of the octopus. Then, turn the octopus over to add a face with markers or googly eyes.
I must admit that I regret putting mouths on our octopuses. Please forgive our personification. The science teacher in me had to later point out that an octopus's mouth is in fact at the base of his head between his tentacles. Depending on the age you are working with, cuteness may take precedence over reality.
When the face or eyes are ready, wrap the sides of your octopus around to meet together, and secure them with tape or a staple. Fold the angular pieces at the top together, and attach them with another piece of tape or a staple. If you wish to hang your octopus, cut a hole at the top of his head, and use some string to put him up on display.
Sting Ray:
Our next creature was a sting ray. The Wild Kratts have an episode about the Southern sting ray, where the kids learned about the ray's unique ability to hide in the sand, periscope eyes, and venomous stinging barb. Our sting rays were quite simple- painted plates with thick, paper tails. We used Do-A-Dot markers (all week) which I highly recommend for easy, mess free, painting!
Shark:
On Friday, we learned about and made sharks! Sharks have super strong jaws and sharp, replaceable teeth! Since we wanted our sharks to be able chomp, we made paper bag puppets! To make these sharks, you will need a paper bag, paper, glue, and markers and/or paint.
Start with those sharp jaws and pointy teeth. Draw them on the underside of your paper bag where the bottom section folds flat. On the bottom of the bag, you can draw a "closed" mouth by adding a low, curved line. You could even add nostrils here if you wish.
Turn your shark over, paint her, and add eyes and paper fins to her top and sides. Once she is dry, your kids can swim her all over the house and chomp away!
Enjoy these crafts with your little ones! Tell me what you made, and what other amazing creatures you'd like to create! Happy Summer!
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