Making recycled CD fish is a great activity to do if you love fish for older preschoolers and school age children! This activity can be done indoors or outdoors! Older preschool children may need help with drawing the different parts of the fish, but they are able to cut out the pieces with adult supervision. School age children can complete this activity independently. They have developed fine motor skills needed to draw the shapes of the fish and the scales on the CD. Both age groups will have the choice of what color paper they would like to use. These CD fish can also be used as puppets! These recycled CD fish are going to look super cute and look great hanging up!
What you need:
CD
Scissors
Black marker
White paper
Clear tape
String
Glue (stick or regular)
Permanent marker
4 sheets of colored paper (2 sheets of each color)
Instructions:
First, you are going to gather all the supplies you will need to make the CD fish.
Next, get the CD and permanent marker to make the scales of the fish!
Place a piece of paper/paper towel under the CD to keep your work area from getting any marker on it. You are going to start drawing “u” shapes at the top of the CD with the permanent marker and work your way across the top of the cd in rows.
Continue until you reach the bottom of the CD. Making sure to cover the CD completely.
Decide which color paper you would like for the main and background color for the fin of the fish. This color will also be used for the main and background color of the lips of the fish. Draw the top fin on the main color piece of paper. Draw the lips of the fish on the main color paper to resemble the number 3 shape. Then on the same piece of paper you are going to draw the back fin of the fish and the bottom fin.
After you have all the parts drawn you can cut them out.
Then, place all the parts that you just cut out on the background color piece of paper. Glue each part to the paper and cut them out of the paper (Making sure to leave an outline/space around the part you are cutting out)
Next, find the top of the CD/fish and place the fins, and lips where they are going to go. Turn the CD over to the back. Tape the top fin, lips, back fin/tail, and bottom fin down to the back of the CD.
Now you are going to make the eye of the fish. On the white piece of paper draw an eye for the fish by drawing an oval and then an arch in the middle of the oval and coloring the bottom of the eye in. Then you can cut out the eye of the fish you just made.
Glue the eye down to the CD.
Then you are going to take a piece of colored paper to make a fan fin for the middle of the fish. Fold the piece of paper the long way over and then flip it over and fold again. (Make sure it can still fit through the hole in the middle of the CD). Repeat the folding a couple of times (about 2 or 3 times). Cut off the extra part of the paper.
Fold the paper in half. Place the folded piece of paper through the hole in the CD. On the back of the CD tape down the paper you just put through the hole in the CD.
Lastly, you are going to place the string on the fish to hang it up! Take your scissors and cut some string. Place the string through the hole in the CD and then tie a knot. You can hang up your fish anywhere you would like or even by a window, so the light reflects off the CD and shines many colors!
