Here’s what you’ll need: construction paper with a fish shape cut out of the middle of it, strips of tissue paper, glue and a wiggly eye.

Put glue all over the back of the construction paper.

Then add strips of tissue paper to cover the entire fish cut out.  I only had to show Hailey one time that the strips needed to be put on vertically and she did the rest.

Add a few pieces of tissue paper for a tail.

The finished rainbow fish.

Here’s what you’ll need: blue construction paper, shark drawing cut out, wiggly eye, 2 small black ovals, several small white triangles and glue.

Glue the shark onto the blue construction paper.

Glue the 2 black ovals on for the sharks nose and add a wiggly eye.  Then put several white triangles in his mouth for the teeth.  Talk about the shapes and colors of the items your child is gluing on.

Hailey’s finished shark.

Here’s what you’ll need: 2 paper plates, construction paper in various colors, tissue paper- green and blue, glue, wiggly eyes and some clear plastic wrap.  Also- not pictured- you’ll need tape and adult scissors.

We used tissue paper to make the plate blue- but if you have a blue paper plate that would be easier.  I would have preferred to have painted the plate blue, but since we are in transition from one house to the next right now our paint is somewhere in my parents garage.  So, we used tissue paper.

While your child is busy gluing the tissue paper on (or painting the plate) cut out the center of the 2nd paper plate.  Also cut out some little circles to decorate this paper plate.  Then have your child glue those circles on the plate with the missing center.

While your child glues the circles on, cut out some seaweed and some fish.  I also tore up some tissue paper to be used  for seaweed.  Normally I would have Hailey tear the tissue paper up (very good for those little muscles in the fingers), but her hands were all covered in glue from the previous steps, so I just did it for her.

Put everything together.  We scrunched up the tissue paper to look like seaweed at the bottom and glued the fish on.  I had actually planned to add some seashells, but could not find my collection.

Stretch a piece of clear plastic wrap onto the back of the plate with the center cut out.  Tape it in place.  This was the hardest step- once I finally got it stretched nice and tight, Hailey hit it with her hand and it came undone.

Use the piece you cut out of the middle of the one plate to make a stand on the back of the aquarium.

Our finished fish aquarium.

Anyhoo, today I am sharing with you a super-duper, easy-peasy craft that relates to the beach theme we are doing this week.

Here’s what you need:

• Tissue paper
• Contact paper cut into the shape of a fish

I cut up the tissue paper into some little squares so it would be a bit more manageable for Hailey’s little hands.

And now for the fun- tear up the tissue paper.  This is excellent for strengthening the muscles in the hands which are very important for those fine-motor skills.  (As a side note-  the marks you see on Hailey’s arms are my attempts at re-doing her tattoo’s that had faded away since our 4th of July celebration.  It just broke her heart that her tattoos were gone, so I did my best to re-do them.)

Stick the torn up tissue paper on the fish shaped contact paper. 

Add another piece of contact paper to hold all of the tissue paper in.  Add a cute little face.  And you have an adorable little fish.

You can display it on a window, or let your ornery toddler carry it around for the rest of the day.