Just in time for Labor Day - why not make this pretty little windsock fish craft.  Inspired by the Old counting rhyme, Over in the Meadow, we have a Mama fish and her little babies two.  It's fun to see all the color combinations kids can come up with for their fish.

 

What you'll need:

• Construction Paper – blue

• Glue Stick & white glue if using glitter

• Googly eyeballs

• Markers, crayons, or pencils to decorate

• Optional: Glitter                                              

• Scissors

• Hole punch

• Paper Cup

• String

• Optional: Milkshake straw

• Windsock fish pattern

 

How to make it:

1. Print out the windsock fish patterns which include one main fish and two smaller fish.  Color the fish and cut it out. 

2. At this point, you can attach your googly eyes with white glue and add glitter along the edges.

3. Remove the bottom of your paper cup.  Wrap the outside with blue construction paper leaving about a 1 ½ “ overhang at the cup opening at the bottom. Use tape to secure the paper on the outside.  Then, cut a few slits with scissors in the blue paper that overlaps the bottom and tuck the edges into the cup using tape to secure the paper on the inside of the cup.  Use your scissors to trim the top opening of the cup and even up the paper.

4. To attach the main fish to the cup: Apply glue stick to the backside of each larger fish and attach to the paper-covered cup lining up the mouth opening with the bottom end of the cup.  For added strength, add a piece of scotch or clear plastic tape along the edge of the fish where it attaches at the cup opening, tucking the tape into the cup.

5. To attach the two smaller fish: Each smaller fish has two mirror-image pieces.  Sandwich a piece of cardstock between each little fish pair and then cut them out.  Glue them together, leaving the area by the mouth unglued.  For attaching to the main fish cup, insert one end of a piece of 6 – 8” long ribbon into the little fish between the cardstock and the picture, taping or gluing it down.  Then use a little glue to seal up that end.   Attach the opposite end of the ribbon to the inside of the cup below the tail.  Repeat these steps for the other fish.

6. To hang your windsock, use your hole punch to punch holes into the cup on the small end by the fish head.   Punch one hole through the milkshake straw about 1 inch down from one end.   Thread some ribbon through the two holes on the windsock and tie it off.  Attach another string about 8 inches to this loop and attach it to the milkshake straw through the hole you made.  Tie it off also. 

That’s it!  Now you have a beautiful windsock to either hang up or run around the yard with.