Materials
Photographs of vividly colored saltwater fish
Construction paper
Scissors
Play sand
Washable tempera paints
Containers for mixing paint with sand
Large brushes
Blue paper for bulletin board
Light brown paper for bulletin board
Instructions
What to do
1. Ahead of time, cut out ocean-and beach-related shapes from the construction paper such as
fish, starfish, and lobsters, and have at least one for each child to decorate.
2. Mix several spoonfuls of sand in with each different color of tempera paint.
3. Look at the photographs of tropical (and other) fish and invite the children to paint onto the
shapes as desired, imitating the vivid colors of nature!
4. Dry thoroughly.
5. Display these works of art on a bulletin board of blue paper with a light brown border to simulate
the seashore!
More to do
Environment: Add different toy sea creatures or objects to the sand to create a "sand dig" experiment.
For an environmental effect, add bits of trash and explain why keeping the beaches and
oceans clean is so important to us and especially to the animals that live there.
Sensory: Add sand to your sensory table. Add water and small plastic cups to it one day and
make mini-sand castles. The sand will dry out as the children play with it and should be completely
dry in a day or two.
