Fish

I've wanted a fish tank for a long time. I really wanted to get one last year, but being my first year teaching there were to many other things on my mind. But this year,  my fish tank was at the top of my Back to School list. I love watching my fish and the kids do too. It has a very calming effect. I was excited to plan a fish themed week. 


We are naming our fish and snail this week. 
We named our yellow guppy Cookie.
We named our blonde guppy Optimus.
We will name our other two fish and snail later this week.

Fish Tank in a Bag
I bought hair gel from the dollar store. (2 big bottles were enough for 18 kids.) I had the kids count how many letters were in their name and then together we counted out that many fish. I wrote the letters of their name on the fish. The kids dropped their fish into the bag and then squeezed in the gel. Then we added food coloring. I sealed the bag with some packing tape for added "security". The kids loved squishing the bags (they smelled really good) and making the fish "swim". An added challenge for older kids is trying to make their fish line up to spell their name. 

Fish Pictures
I love kid driven art! First, I had the kids draw a fish tank using a black crayon. (Washable markers will smear when painted over.) Then, I set out lots of colorful paints and let the kids paint their pictures. The results were very colorful and creative! 






More fish ideas coming soon!
For more teaching tips & ideas check out my website at
sites.google.com/site/earlychildhoodscribbles.