Fish

CIRCLE TIME

Sit in a circle with the group. We suggest you purchase a fish bowl and a fish for the theme. Introduce children to their new pet to begin circle time. If you do not want to buy a fish, choose a book or puppet you can use to discuss different types of fish.

AREA SETUP

Hang several pieces of large, white cardboard on the wall at children's level. They can be used like a bulletin board. Throughout the theme, children can draw, paint, and display their fish on their giant aquarium.

ACTIVITY SHEET

(Open activity sheet - Fish) Print, laminate, and follow instructions.

PICTURE GAME

The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with the group. Use them to decorate the daycare or a specific thematic corner. (Open picture game - Fish) Print, laminate, and store in a "Ziploc" bag or in your thematic bins.

ACTIVITIES

Rowboats
Ask your local grocer for a few cardboard boxes. Children decorate them and use them as rowboats. Give them each a fishing rod (stick with string and a magnet attached to the end). Let them go fishing for paper fish with metal paperclips attached to them.

Pebbles
Add multicolored aquarium pebbles to a container. Add figurines and tiny plastic fish. Let children use small nets to catch the fish.

Big fish, little fish
Cut several different sizes of fish out of paper or cardboard. (Open models - Fish) Print and laminate. Slide a paperclip onto each fish to represent the mouth. Add a magnet to the end of a string and tie the other end to a stick. Deposit two baskets on the floor, one for big fish and one for little fish. Children catch the fish and put them in the correct basket.

What floats?
This is the perfect idea for a warm and sunny day! Gather items which will float and items which will sink. Children will enjoy guessing whether each item will sink or float before dropping them in a tub of water.

Wiggly fish
Children perform somersaults on a mat and end with a creative pose.

The sound of fish
Blow bubbles and invite children to run around and pop them as fast as they can.

Silent fish
Play a silence game. When you give the signal, children must be silent, just like fish. The game ends when each child has spoken.

The big fish and the baby fish
(Like the cat and the mouse game) Designate one child to be the fish who must catch all the baby fish. If a baby fish is touched by the big fish, he becomes a big fish too. There is only one way to be safe: children must kneel, crouch down, or lay on their stomachs. If they are down low, the big fish cannot touch them.

Surprise fish

Tie a rope to an old broomstick. Add a clothespin to the end of the rope. Sit behind a couch or other piece of furniture to attach fish to the clothespin while the children are fishing. The object of the game is for children to take turns fishing. If you wish, you may attach small toys to the clothespin instead of fish.Variation: You may write points on the fish (example: a small fish=2 points, a big fish=5 points, etc.). Place various prizes on a table (for example for 2 points a child may choose a tiny ball). Children exchange their points for surprises.

The river
Deposit three hoola hoops next to each other on the floor (or trace three circles with ropes). Children stand around the hoola hoops. One by one, they must cross over the hoola hoops to the sound of rhythmic music. When the music stops, the child who is in a hoola hoop is a prisoner and must imitate a fish. Repeat.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES

Snack: serve small cheese-flavored crackers shaped like fish.

Lunch: serve fish & chips.

Blue Jell-O bin
Let children play in a large bin of blue Jell-O. Add tiny plastic fish to the bottom of the bin. Children plunge their hands in the bin or use a small net to catch the fish.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Fishy stained glass window
Grate old waxed crayons, carefully separating the colors. Children deposit the waxed crayon shavings on a sheet of waxed paper. Place another sheet of waxed paper on top and seal the two sheets using an iron on low heat. Cut fish shapes out of the waxed paper. Glue to a window or hang with invisible thread. The result is impressive!

Aquarium
This is a collective project. Trace several large fish on cardboard. Cover the surface with glue and add multicolored aquarium pebbles. Display the masterpieces side by side to create a large aquarium.

COLORING PAGES

(Open coloring pages theme - Fish)

SONGS & RHYMES

The little fish

by: Patricia Morrison

sung to: The wheels on the bus

The little blue fish swims high and low
High and low, high and low
The little blue fish swims high and low
In its bowl

The little red fish swims round and round
Round and round, round and round
The little red fish swims round and round
In its bowl

The little green fish wiggles its fins
Wiggles its fins, wiggles its fins
The little green fish wiggles its fins
In its bowl

The little orange fish jumps for its food
For its food, for its food
The little orange fish jumps for its food
In its bowl

Have fun!

The Educatall team