Lesson Plan - Foil River Fish  

Step 1: Creating your water environment

Step 3: Rubbing the fish on the netting to create scales

Step 4: Arranging your composition and gluing the fish in place. 

In the warmer months, families and friends gather at our local rivers and lakes.  Your chances of seeing some fish in one or more of these places is pretty good. If you don’t happen to come across any you needn't worry because you will have the chance to create your own colorful shiny bounty of fish with this fun project. In an effort to help keep our lakes and rivers beautiful we are also throwing in an environmental edge. We will recycle, re-use and re-new some things from home to complete our supply list.  

YOU WILL NEED:
* 12” X 18” white construction paper
* Tempera paint in white and blue
* Variety of colored Sharpies or other permanent markers
* Black Sharpie
* Glue
* Foil (recycled if possible - re-use, re-new!!!)
* Paint brush
* Paper plate or other recycled palette for paint
* Tissue or T.P.
* Scissors
* Plastic netting from fruit or veggies (ours was from tangerines bought at Trader Joes – re-use and re-cycle!)  

PROCEDURE:

1. First cover an area at a table or desk to protect it from the paint and permanent markers. Now you will paint the water environment for the fish. Using the blue tempera, paint waves of water over the entire surface of the white construction paper. Once this is underway you can start to add a little white to the paint as you go to add more texture, depth and movement to your water. When the waves are complete you will next wad up a tissue/Kleenex and dip it into the white tempers. Look at your painting and find some good spots to add some foam and white caps to your rushing river or your white capped lake, this is where you will dab the paint from the tissue. Now it should really look like a rapid river or a lake with white caps. Put the painting aside to dry.
2. Using foil pieces about 5” X 8” draw with a black sharpie a fish directly on the foil. With the colored permanent markers color your fish with as many bright colors as you want. We made three fish of different sizes but you can make more if you like. Decide if all your fish are swimming up-stream or if they are swimming in different directions and draw them accordingly. Once your fish are drawn and colored you will want to cut them out. Younger children may need help with this part as the foil is very delicate and can be tricky to cut-out. Resist the temptation to tear parts of the foil, this will surely end up in disaster. Carefully cut out all your fish.
3. Cut the netting from your fruits or vegetables into as large a piece as you can. Lay the netting flat on the table and put one of your colored fish on top. Using your fingers, gently rub across the surface of your fish, omitting the face, and apply enough pressure so the netting will texture your fish with what will look like scales.  Be sure to hold your fish in place with your other hand or it might crinkle up. Use this procedure with each fish and admire how realistic the scales look.
4. You will now affix the fish to their environment that you created. Try placing the fish in several different places before you decide on your design. After arranging your composition, a few dots of glue will do the trick to permanently glue them in place. Allow time for the glue to dry and then find a spot for your glistening fish to hang and show them off to all who visit.

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