Activity: Ocean Paper Plate Craft

 Make animals swim in the ocean with this fun craft!

You Will Need:

• Paper Plate
• Blue Paint (a light blue shade and darker blue shade works best; you can mix white paint with blue to make a lighter blue)
• Blue yarn
• Hole Punch
• Card Stock paper
• Scissors
• Tape

Instructions:

Step 1: Paint the top half of the paper plate light blue. Paint the bottom half of the paper plate dark blue.  Let dry completely.

Step 2: Punch holes along the bottom rim of the paper plate.  (The area painted dark blue)

Step 3: Find and print pictures of your favorite ocean animals or draw them on the card stock.

Step 4: Cut out the animals.

Step 5: Tape one end of the yarn to the back of the paper plate.  Thread the yarn through one of the holes.  Pull it across the front of the paper plate and through a hole on the other side.  Thread the yarn through the hole next to this one and pull the yarn across the plate to the other side.  Keep repeating until you have lines of blue yarn covering the entire bottom half of the paper plate. 

Step 6: Nestle the cut out ocean animals into the yarn so it looks like they are swimming in the ocean. 

Step 7: Move the ocean animals around, have them dive in and out of the ‘waves’ and have fun playing with them.   

Book Activity: Bird Feeder

You've probably been seeing a lot of birds outside this summer. Have you ever wanted to learn more about them? Check out these nonfiction books to read more about birds, and then make a bird feeder for your yard or local park!

The Bird Atlas by Barbara Taylor

Birds by World Book

Birds: Explore their Extraordinary World by Miranda Krestovnikoff

Ice Cream Cone Bird Feeder Craft

You Will Need:

• Ice cream cones (the soft kind)
• Peanut butter*
• Assorted birdseed
• Twine, yarn or string

Instructions:

Step 1: At the bottom of the cone, poke a hole through the sides (you can use a sharp pencil, screwdriver, or other object).

Step 2: Thread a piece of twine, yarn or string through the holes and tie to create a loop.

Step 3: Put peanut butter on the top rim of the cone, on the opposite side of the holes you just poked. 

Step 4: Dip the parts covered in peanut butter into the bird seed. Make sure it sticks!

Step 5: Hang it up somewhere outdoors where birds can reach it - what type of birds do you see?

*If you have an allergy to peanut butter, feel free to use a substitute as long as it's sticky and bird-safe!