Create your own ocean scene in a box. Just print out shark and whale templates, draw some seaweed, corals, and your favorite fish. Paste, color, cut, hang them in a decorated box, and enjoy the ocean.
Estimated Time: 60 minutes
Supplies Needed:
- Paper and a printer (stiff paper works best - colored paper is also great for this project)
- A shoe box or slightly larger box
- Crayons and/or markers
- Tape
- Thread
- Scissors
- Optional – Pipe cleaners (great for seaweed and coral)
- Optional – Glitter (for great bubbles)
- Optional – Thin cardboard to glue to the back of the animals if your paper is very flimsy (old cereal boxes work well)
- Optional – Plastic ocean animals
Instructions
1.
- Find a box at least as big as a shoe box — a slightly bigger box works even better. This will be the stage containing your ocean scene.
- Decorate the inside of the box to look like it’s underwater. Draw the water, the ocean floor, rocks, coral, seaweed, fish, an octopus, bubbles, scuba divers, a submarine, etc. Glitter makes a wonderful addition; sprinkle some on a little glue.
2.
- Print out the animals you want to be in the scene (or use small plastic animals). For a list of whales to print out, click here. For a list of sharks to print out, click here. *If your paper is very flimsy and you think your animals may bend too much, paste the template onto thin cardboard (like an old cereal box). Let the paste dry.
3.
- Using crayons or markers, decorate the animals and plants. Also, draw and decorate your own seaweed, corals, and favorite fish. Green construction paper cut in squiggly strips makes nice seaweed.
- Cut out the animals and plants.
4.
- Hang the fish and whales in the box using tape and thread. Tape your seaweed and coral to the bottom of the box. Green and brown pipe cleaners also make nice plants.
- Enjoy your ocean diorama!