Create an Upcycled Fish!
Trash is inevitable, and it can be hard not to feel resigned to the reality that our daily activities generate tons of garbage. But what if we shifted how we thought about our disposable items? Instead of tossing it away, we could consider other uses an object might have. Turn glass jars into planters, or empty baby wipe containers into storage for crayons. Or reuse a paper plate and toilet paper roll to create… an upcycled fish!
One fish craft won't solve our trash problem, but teaching your child that trash can be used in new and creative ways is powerful. Just like Ripple from “Splash and Bubbles,” it might just be the “One Small Ripple” that really makes the difference over time. Practicing reuse now can guide your child toward a lifetime of reducing their trash impact, which creates real, lasting change.
Materials
Directions
Cut a triangle out of the side of a paper plate, creating the fish’s mouth. Then, cut a smaller triangle out of the triangle.
Glue the large triangle to the paper plate to create a tail fin. Glue the smaller triangle to the center of the plate to create a pectoral fin.
Cut the toilet paper roll into rings, Then, snip each ring in half, creating dorsal fins. Glue the dorsal fins along the top of the fish.
Grab your old magazines! Ask your child what colors they might want their fish to be, then go through the magazines page by page, snipping pieces in the colors they’d like. Gather as many colorful pieces of paper as you want! If you have tissue paper at home, you and your child can rip this up to use to collage your fish as well.
Using glue, collage the pieces of paper onto the paper plate however you’d like. Crayons or markers can be used to color in fins, if desired.
Glue a bottle cap in place to create your fish’s eye.
Enjoy your creations! Ask your child if they’d like to think up other ways to upcycle trash into something new, and help them make their ideas come to life!
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