"Rainbow Fish" Thematic Unit

Activities and Procedures

After you finish orally reading "Rainbow Fish", discuss the importance of sharing in friendship.

1. Assist each child in making a Rainbow Fish book about sharing.
2. To make a book, have each child cut two fish shapes (identical in size) from construction paper.
3. Title one of the fish shapes, "Sharing and Caring."
4. Encourage the children to decorate this fish shape with paint, crayons, or makers.
5. Using glitter and glue, have students make one shimmering scale on this fish.
6. Place several sheets of paper (also cut in fish shapes) between the construction paper fish, and bind them together to make a book.
7. On each page, have children illustrate and write (or dictate) ways that they can share and care.

The following activities are making a rainbow fish. They are all just slight variations of each other and using different mediums!

Fancy Fish

1. To make a rainbow fish, trace a fish pattern onto colored construction paper; then cut it out.
2. Paint the fish with several colors of tempera paint, swirling and mixing colors for a unique effect.
3. Sprinkle glitter over the wet paint and press on silver wrapping paper "scales".
4. When dry, mount the fish onto a board along with some bulletin board paper waves.
5. A variation I use is to use hologram pieces for the scales. I found mine in the craft section of WalMart. They will be with the beads and sequins. They turn out fantastic!

Flashy Fish

1. To make a rainbow fish, trace a fish pattern onto colored construction paper; then cut it out.
2. Depending on the artist's abilities, provide a large supply of colorful, precut scales or construction paper scraps from which scales can be torn.
3. Starting at the tail and working toward the head, glue the scales on the body of the fish. For the shiny scale, glue on one aluminum foil scale. (or use the hologram pieces mentioned above)
4. Finally, add construction paper or marker details on the head, fins, and tail.

Another Rainbow Fish

1. To make a rainbow fish, trace a fish pattern onto colored construction paper; then cut it out.
2. Cut shades of blue, pink, and purple tissue paper into small pieces. (You can also use shades of another group of colors, such as yellow, red, and orange.)
3. Using liquid starch, paint on the tissue-paper pieces, covering the entire fish.
4. When that dries, glue on several shiny, aluminum foil scales.
5. Use a permanent marker to add other fishy details.

A Final Rainbow Fish!

1. To make a rainbow fish, trace a fish pattern onto colored construction paper; then cut it out.
2. Cut a shiny scale from a piece of hologram sticker paper (available at craft stores) or use the hologram pieces I mentioned above.
3. Attach the scale to the fish.
4. Glue on a wiggle eye.
5. Decorate the fish by squeezing on designs of colored glue. (Colored glue can be made by putting the inside part of a magic marker inside the glue bottle and letting it sit for a while.)
6. Flourescent colors turn out especially nice and then the use of a flourescent light is a great touch!

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