Child's Play
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Under the Ocean

Crafts & Activities
Songs, Finger Plays & Nursery Rhymes
Recipes

Also see:  Fish Theme

Crafts & Activities

Starfish Sensory Art
Cut several starfish shapes & sizes from different grains of sandpaper.  Tape shapes to a table.  Ask the kids to place their paper over the shapes, and using a crayon, rub over the shapes to create a starfish on their paper. 

Jelly Fish
Cut a large white paper plate in half.  Glue, tape or staple ribbon, crepe paper streamers or string from the straight edge of the plate half.  Let the kids decorate the paper plate with markers, paint, stickers or whatever their little hearts desire!  Punch a hole in the top of the jelly fish and hang in a window or from the ceiling.

Under the Ocean Globes
Fill a small jar (baby food jars work nicely) 3/4 full of water; add a drop or two of blue food coloring; add a bit of colored glitter.  Glue on lid (adult supervision is required to make sure no leakage - or burned fingers!) with a glue gun.  Add "sea" creature stickers to the outside of the jar.  You could also add a few tiny shells to the inside of the jar; and ribbon around the edge of the lid.

Ping Pong Ball Octopus
Wrap 4 chenille stems around a ping pong ball or small styrofoam ball, twisting each under the ball to secure, and spreading out the legs (8) as you wish.  Add two googly eyes.

Paper Plate Octopus
Paint, or decorate a paper plate half as you desire.  Add 8 colorful crepe paper streamers to the straight edge of the plate.  Punch a hole in the top of the octopus and hang in a window or from the ceiling.

Dramatic Play
Spread a piece of blue material on the floor to represent the ocean or sea.  Add a small rubber dingy or large wash tub, life preservers, rain hats and coats, stuffed or plastic aquatic animals, fishing rods and magnetic fish, hang crepe paper streamers for seaweed from the ceiling over the "ocean" or on the wall behind the "ocean".

Make Sand Castles
Mix 6 cups of clean dry sand with one cup of wheat paste (recipe below). Add water until the ixture feels slightly sticky and packs firmly into shapes. Set out plastic containers for molds and a large wooden board or a piece of cardboard for the base. Let the children work together to create a large sandcastle. Allow the castle to dry overnight. 

Shiny Starfish
Cut starfish shapes (stars with rounded points) out of cardstock or heavy cardboard; draw black eyes and a smile on each one with a permanent marker. Make a sugar and water syrup; Divide syrup into four separate containers; add a different food color to each container.  Mix well.   Paint the starfish with the syrup paint and allow to dry before adding a string to the starfish for hanging. 
 
 

Sand Dough
Mix together 4 cups clean dry sand and 3 cups of flour.  Add 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup water to dry mixture.  Mix well.  Add more water if a thinner texture is desired.  Provide sea animal shaped cookie cutters, sand toys, etc.

Octopus Lunch 
Slice a weiner lengthwise in half (to an inch from one end), then cut again in quarters, then again in eighths. (should have 8 legs attached to a one inch "head").  Poke 2 eyes into the "head" with a toothpick.  Place the cut weiners into boiling water. (Let the kids watch this part CAREFULLY!!)  The eyes will pop out and the legs will curl up - an Octopus!!  Serve with fish crackers, Seaweed & Jellyfish Salad (lettuce and cucumber) or Seawood Noodles: cook ramon noodles in green tinted water (food coloring).

Wheat Paste (for making sand castles above) 
Combine 1/3 cup flour and 2 tbsp sugar in a sauce pan. Slowly pour one cup of water and mix well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Makes one cup (enough for one batch of sand castle dough).

Shiny Starfish
Cut starfish shapes (stars with rounded points) out of cardstock or heavy cardboard and draw black eyes and a smile on each one with a permanent marker. Make a sugar and water syrup; Divide syrup into four separate containers; add a different food color to each container.  Mix well.   Paint the starfish with the syrup paint and allow to dry before adding a string to the starfish for hanging. 

Starfish Treats
Using a star shaped cookie cutter, cut shapes out of bread.  Lightly spread with butter or margarine; add shredded cheddar or mozza cheese.  Toast lightly, until cheese is melted, under the broiler of your oven or in a toaster oven.  Allow to cool slightly (cheese will be very hot~~); serve.

 
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