Ready for a craft that’s perfect for summer? This activity teaches you how to create a paper mobile using templates inspired by A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea. Turn your house into an aquarium by hanging these mobiles above your bed or in a window! You can adapt this project for all ages. Youngsters can color the sea creatures with crayons and an adult can assemble, or older kids can modify the activity to include sea creatures of their own design. Have fun as you travel to the bottom of the sea!
WHAT TO FIND
• Templates to download below
• Sturdy paper in various colors
• Hole puncher
• Paper clips
• Fishing twine
• Optional: googly eyes, crayons or paint
WHAT TO DO
1. Print out the downloadable templates. Affix the first template to two sheets of paper with paper clips. The clips keep the pages together so they’re easy to cut — move them around as you cut out your shapes. Alternatively, you can print the templates onto colored paper and cut them out.
2. Once you have your shapes ready, glue details onto both sides. Have fun with decorations and give your creatures expressions with silly eyes and funky features. Short on time? Use googly eyes from the store.
You can even use these designs for story-telling props! What would a fish say to a crab?
3. Line up the shapes in the order you like, with the boats on top. Use a hole puncher to make holes where the shapes will connect. Cut fishing twine into pieces and tie a knot through the holes, leaving 3 inches/8 centimeters or more between each shape.
4. Hang them wherever you’d like! For the Concord Studio window display, we taped seaweed to the bottom window pane and added tiny fish and coral.
Young kids especially love the bold and easily-recognizable shapes!
Our Concord windows were inspired by these excellent windows that the Oxford team designed and installed. Our Studio team member Jaz worked on these beautiful paper crafts, and her family helped! Can you spot the differences?
Be creative with your own designs and share your photos with us!
Join the conversation! Add your comments below.