Dancing Fish Scene

Materials Needed:
Shoe box
Fishing line
Fish template
Wiggly eyes
White construction paper
Markers/crayons
Paint
Sand
Tacky Glue
Rocks
Stickers
Foam sheets

What to Do:

Instruct children to do the following:

Paint inside of shoebox blue or blue green.
Decorate inside bottom of shoebox with fish stickers, plastic seaweed, seahorses, etc…
Stand shoebox on its side.
Paint or rub glue thickly on side (which is now the ocean bottom), before the glue dries sprinkle sand on top of the glue, making sure to cover entire surface of ocean floor.
Glue rocks and some shells onto the ocean floor.
Copy or trace fish template onto white or off white construction paper and cut out. (Depending on skill level of child this can be done by teacher or child.)
Decorate fish using markers/crayons.
Glue wiggly eye to each fish

These steps should be done either with the help of the teacher or by the teacher:

Glue two paper clips to the back of each fish (one towards the front end and one towards the back end).
Poke four holes in the top of the shoebox (the top is now the side opposite the ocean floor).  Two holes (spaced approximately 2 ½ inches apart) on one side of the top and two holes (also spaced approx. 2 ½ inches apart) on the opposite side of the top of the box.
Cut two pieces of fishing line approximately 10 inches in length.  
Tie one end of fishing line to one paper clip on first fish then string the line up through the hole in the top of the box and back down through the second hole.  Attach the other end of the line to the second clip on the back of the first fish.
Tie one end of the other fishing line to one paper clip on the second fish and string the line up through the hole in the top of the box and back down through the second hole.  Attach the other end of the line to the second clip on the back of the second fish.

Show children how they can make the fish "dance" by moving the strings up and down.