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May 5, 2011 | 13 Comments

Fish Sun Catcher Craft

This is about as low mess you can get and still end up with a fun sparkly craft. Contact paper takes the place of glue and even though we used felt and buttons for differing textures you could add just about anything you have on hand .

  1. Gather your materials. You will need some contact paper, a sheet of construction paper, crayon, scissors, felt, buttons, and googly eyes.
  2. Start by drawing the outline of a fish on the construction paper.
  3. Cut the fish out so you are left with a frame.
  4. Cut a piece of contact almost as large as the full sheet of construction paper , peel the backing off and stick on .
  5. Cut your felt into small pieces.
  6. Invite your child to the table .If you were me yesterday go into long negotiations with your Batman costumed child over doing or not doing a craft with gloves that belong to his grandmother on… which then turned into ” You always boss me around, I hate fish, I won’t do your baby craft.”  Inspired by techniques discussed in our Parenting Book Club Book “Playful Parenting” I resisted the urge to give a lecture about talking back and instead pretended to call Batman himself for help and listened to “Batman’s” suggestions. So we added some gems from our art closet , he took one glove off and we had a fun time together which is the whole point .
  7. Add your eyes and collage materials.
  8. Hang up in your window – no need to wait for anything to dry.

Today I really wondered for a few minutes if maybe my wee man was actually done with craft time. If he is I will be sad because I love our time creating but only when he loves it too. His play is almost entirely pretend play and he loves making anything that goes with his favorite theme du jour so we’ll see… either way I think I better start saving for his law school, this kid can negotiate!

Book

Barry the Fish with Fingers by Sue Hendra is a goofy fun book that had me wrapped around it’s fingers with the title, I mean a fish named Barry? And he has fingers?! I love it. Thankfully my judgment was smack dab on because the inside of the book was as funny as the cover. Barry isn’t just a fish with fingers he is a hero when his fingers save the day. The illustrations are so fun, the text is zippy and both my kids ( 4 and 10 months) loved it from start to finish.

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Fish, Ocean Activities, Preschool Crafts, Sun Catchers, Under the Sea | 13 Comments

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13 Comments

  1. Susie says

    May 5, 2011 at 3:09 am

    I have a difficult time getting my four year old to do crafts and activities with me sometimes, too. She is all about pretend play, and will play with her toys alone for hours if I let her. Either than or she just wants to draw.

    to Susie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Susie'>reply to this comment
  2. Jenae {I Can Teach My Child!} says

    May 5, 2011 at 5:21 am

    Adorable! I love using contact paper…make’s things so much easier!

    to Jenae {I Can Teach My Child!}" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jenae {I Can Teach My Child!}'>reply to this comment
  3. Becca says

    May 5, 2011 at 7:11 am

    I love the negotiating. Well played, Mama! 😉

    I have to ask a “character” or a “toy” for help ALL THE TIME with my 4 year old. If I need the room cleaned up, I can’t ask my son – nothing would ever get done. I have to ask whatever toy he is currently entertained with. Usually it works pretty well. 🙂

    I’m glad Batman had fun with your craft 😉

    to Becca" aria-label='reply to this comment to Becca'>reply to this comment
  4. Natalie says

    May 5, 2011 at 7:27 am

    Tell me about minds of “big kids” who are 4.5! My daughter does NOT like crafting – at least not in the afternoons. She is only interested if the craft has some sort of purpose – a toy or a present. On the positive note, your daughter is almost ready to do all those fantastic toddler crafts from a couple years back.

    to Natalie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Natalie'>reply to this comment
  5. admin says

    May 5, 2011 at 7:46 am

    Thanks – to tell you the truth I was really nervous about posting about his reluctance and our negotiation. I never want to do a craft/activity JUST for the blog. I am a mama first and foremost and even though I brainstorm ideas for NTFFC many many don’t ever see the light of day because I have no takers.

    The only reason I bothered to negotiate was because he’d asked to do it, helped me set up then backed out and at almost 4.5 it’s time for him to practice follow through. We are big on doing what we say we are going to do in our family and this just happened to be the vehicle to learn that yesterday.

    If he resists there might be time for me to finally re record all my songs. There is always a positive to every situation.

    to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  6. Irene says

    May 5, 2011 at 10:17 am

    OH exciting! We are headed to the beach this weekend, so I have been getting all my Ocean items out for craft projects. This will be a fun one- I have mini seashells I might use that we picked up last time we were at Seaside.

    to Irene" aria-label='reply to this comment to Irene'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      May 5, 2011 at 2:25 pm

      Seaside Oregon?

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  7. JDaniel4's Mom says

    May 5, 2011 at 12:22 pm

    I love his eyes! This book looks wonderful!

    to JDaniel4's Mom" aria-label='reply to this comment to JDaniel4's Mom'>reply to this comment
  8. Stephanie says

    May 5, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    I love it!! We are doing a beach theme next week so it will be perfect!! And like you, I’m loving the book club book!! I have put it to practice WAY more than I thought I would. It actually does make things easier and more fun. Thanks for all you do!!

    to Stephanie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Stephanie'>reply to this comment
  9. Pumpkinbear says

    May 8, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    I LOVE contact paper! Sometimes I’ll tape a giant sheet of it, sticky side out, to the window so that my girlies can make a giant suncatcher artwork and enjoy it at the same tme.

    to Pumpkinbear" aria-label='reply to this comment to Pumpkinbear'>reply to this comment
  10. Jeni / the messy mama says

    June 3, 2012 at 4:05 am

    Stumbled across this while my littlest was sleeping/nursing, love the craft idea – and totally felt you when you said about wondering if your boy was done with crafting! Going through that with my oldest (3.5 now). He prefers painting but only with his feet or outside, the bigger the better. Otherwise he’s off pretending to be buzz lightyear or a tiger and playing with his cars and like yours, my boy can negotiate!!! A year on, how are you getting on with your boy, with regards crafting?

    to Jeni / the messy mama" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jeni / the messy mama'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      June 3, 2012 at 5:17 pm

      I have a negotiator too. He is into crafts again but we don’t do as many because his school hours have increased, we build legos a lot while my daughter is sleeping. I am glad I didn’t push it though because I think if I did he’d react even more negatively.

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  1. Preschool Thematic Unit: Pets | Not Just CuteNot Just Cute says:
    January 24, 2014 at 12:05 am

    […] It doesn’t get much more simple (or colorful!) than this fish sun catcher craft from No Time For Flash Cards! […]

    to Preschool Thematic Unit: Pets | Not Just CuteNot Just Cute" aria-label='reply to this comment to Preschool Thematic Unit: Pets | Not Just CuteNot Just Cute'>reply to this comment

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