The Fish

The fish! What better way to start talking about animals that live in the water! I have a fish tank in my classroom that my students have loved since the first day of school. They are fascinated by the little fish and the giant (and blue!) water snail that hangs out in there. Looking at a fish tank has always been fascinating for kids, so I like to begin my talk about fish by reading

Memoirs of a Goldfish.

 

 

This funny little books lets students relate to fish in a setting they are already familiar with. We read several other books about fish, including these three:

 

One of my favorites is The Pout-Pout Fish. And kids love it when he gets a big KISS at the end of story.

 

 

Rainbow Fish is a classic story about being nice to each other and sharing.

 

What's It Like to Be a Fish? is our science fish book.

 

And after we read What's It Like to Be a Fish? we begin talking about the parts of the fish. We talk about what the fins do, what the tail does, how a fish can breathe underwater, and what they eat. After this discussion we do our fish page in My Science Journal: Ocean

 

 

My students have learned more than they realize about how a fish lives!

Next we do our fish craft. I like to tie in art whenever I can. For this craft we are making the

 

Coffee Filter Fish

 

 

Take any size coffee filter and have kids dot them with Bingo dotters, or use washable markers and spray with a water bottle, or simply watercolor! Let the filter dry and then glue it to the back of the fish template.

 

 

 

I like to copy onto cardstock, but it would look jut as great if the kids color the fish themselves. I had my students cut the outside of the fish, but I cut the inside circle.

Glue the fish onto the coffee filter (or vice versa) and let dry. Once it is dry trim the filter so your fish looks AMAZING! Hang your fish in the window for some beautiful color!

 

That's the fish!