STREAM Activity: Jellyfish Paper Chain

Create your own paper chain jellyfish!

Activity best for children ages 2 and up

Summer is right around the corner, which makes this the perfect time to talk about the ocean and what’s inside it. Jellyfish are one of the invertebrates of the sea! They don’t have backbones or brains, and look pretty different than most fish. Most of their time is spent floating around with the currents and eating. They even produce their own light in a natural phenomenon known as bioluminescence!

In this activity, you will be able to explore comparing and contrasting the ways a jellyfish might be different from the way other sea creatures look, as well as exploring some ways they might be similar while getting hands on experience with colors and patterns.

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Materials:

Two Different Colored Papers + White paper

Scissors

Clear tape

Markers or Crayons

Guiding Questions:

How do jellyfish look different from some of the other fish in the sea? What is another sea creature that looks similar? What about different?

What are some of your favorite sea creatures?

Directions

Step 1

Gather your materials.

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Step 2

On your white piece of paper, draw the outline of the jellyfish body (a semi-circle with a wavy bottom). No need for it to be perfect since jelly fish are wavy themselves! After it is drawn, take your scissors and cut it out of the paper.

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Step 3

Decorate the piece you just cut out using the markers or crayons you have. You can make this a pattern, or just have fun with it. After it is decorated, take the scrap part of the white paper and draw two eyes on it. Once drawn, cut them out and attach them to your jellyfish using a loop of tape on the back of each one.

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Step 4

Cut both colored papers into strips. They should be about 6 inches long and 1-2 inches wide. Fold both ends of the strip up to make a loop and use a piece of tape to secure it. Thread another strip through the middle of the secured one and repeat the process to create a chain which will be like the jelly fish tentacle! You will need 3 total chains. You can make them as long as you’d like and use any pattern.

Here are some examples:

A B A B A

AA BB AA

AAA B AAA

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Step 5

When the chains are complete, use a loop of tape to secure them to the back of the jellyfish body. You may need to flatten the top one a little to help it stay better.

Then ta da! You have your very own jellyfish!

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Grown Ups-Are you looking for more ways to extend your child’s learning? Check out these extension activities to build upon today’s STREAM activity!

Reading Connections

Bloom by Julia Seal

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Real World Connections

Jellyfish are go with the flow and an important part of the oceans ecosystem. This can be a great opportunity to talk to your child about caring for animals and the planet. It can even provide chance for conversation about taking care of ourselves and being more open for change.