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Fish Sticks!

Fish can be found in nearly all aquatic environments. Students will learn some fish facts and then create a fish stick puppet and story to act out.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Craft Sticks

Steps

  • Step 1

    Ask children to name bodies of water where fish might live. They may say oceans, lakes rivers, etc. Explain that fish are abundant in most bodies of water, from high mountain streams to the deepest depths of the ocean. Describe a fish's characteristics; for example, they have bones (they are vertebrate) and gills but no limbs or digits.

  • Step 2

    Ask children to create a fish stick puppet using familiar shapes. They can roll an oval shape of Model Magic for the body and then create features to attach to it. The fins can be triangles, the eyes can be circles, etc. While the Model Magic is still soft, have them insert a craft stick into the body.

  • Step 3

    Have children form small groups and plan a story for their fish characters to act out in a puppet show. Encourage them to give their fish a name and to create a story with a clear beginning, middle and end. Have the groups take turns presenting their puppet shows.

Standards

ARTS: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

MATH: Create models that demonstrate math concepts and attend to precision.

SCI: Design pictorial or graphic representations/models that are useful in communicating ideas.

Adaptations

A fish tale is an exaggerated implausible story. Have children make up a fish tale about a topic or an activity they enjoy.

Have children form groups and choreograph a scene for fish. How would the fish move and dance? How could their bodies approximate a fish's shape and movement?