Skin, Scales, & Spines
Take a deep, deep look at creatures of the deep, deep sea! Create a 3-D model of an amazing ocean creature, inside and out.
1. What kinds of creatures live at each zone of the sea as it gets deeper and deeper? How do creatures at the deeper levels adapt to the unique underwater conditions? Which creature captures your imagination? Find out more about it. Where does it fit into the undersea food chain? How does the underwater environment affect its lifestyle? Find pictures of the creature and diagrams of its internal body structure. If you like, work with a partner.
2. Use Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils to outline the creature's body shape on cotton or 50/50 cotton/polyester fabric. With Crayola Scissors, cut around the shape, leaving a wide border around the outline. Trace the shape and cut it out so you have two identical pieces.
3. Place the fabric pieces on newspaper topped with white paper so that the pieces are mirror images. On one piece, use Crayola Fabric Markers to draw the creature as it appears on the outside--scales, skin, spines, or whatever is characteristic of your creature. On the other piece, draw the creature’s internal structure.
4. Run a line of Crayola School Glue around the edge of one piece of fabric, leaving a space about as wide as your hand without glue. Turn the other piece over and place it on top of the glued piece so the edges meet. Your designs will be inside. Air-dry the glue overnight.
5. Cut off any extra parts of the border. At the curves, make snips almost up to the glue. Turn the fish inside out so your designs show. Stuff the inside of the creature. Glue the opening closed. Air-dry before telling your classmates about your choice of undersea creature.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.
- Deep Sea Diving Memory Game: Work with classmates in pairs to create two of several different kinds of sea creatures. Display them in a deep-sea classroom exhibit. Learn about each creature to prepare for a Deep Sea Diving Memory Game. Place each creature under a plastic container. Take turns turning over two containers at a time, trying to find and identify matching pairs. For an extra challenge, tell a fact about the creatures before claiming a pair.
- Assessment: In the oral presentation, look for completeness and accuracy of information as well as details on the stuffed creature. Individually, invite students to share one piece of writing from their research. Listen to their reading, record the strategies they use to decode and comprehend the text, and interview each student about their research and reading process.
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