Wishing your family was on vacation? Make everyday a vacation with this fun to make, floating craft! Children four years old and older will love to re-create their own Ocean-in-a-Bottle to decorate their rooms and to shake up and watch their ocean come alive.

What you'll need:

  • Small, clear glass jar
  • scissors
  • tacky or hot glue
  • water
  • blue cardstock
  • thread
  • colored foam
  • fish template
  • markers
How to make your ocean in a bottle craft:
  1. Using a marker and the fish template, trace the desired number of fish onto different pieces of colored foam. With adult supervision, cut out the foam fish. (see photos)
  2. Cut pieces of thread of different lengths (make sure none of the thread is shorter than two inches or longer than the length of your glass jar. Glue one thread to each fish. Allow to dry completely. (see photos)
  3. Using markers, decorate your fish. Once you are done decorating, glue the other end of the thread to the bottom of the jar. Allow the glue to dry completely. (see photos)
  4. As an added option, feel free to add glitter, sand, or brown rice to create a snow globe effect.
  5. With adult supervision, carefully fill the jar with water and screw the lid on tightly. When you turn the jar upside down, the fish should float in the water.
  6. Using a marker, draw waves on the blue cardstock and cut out. Glue to the outside of the jar. (see photos)
  7. Using markers, decorate the blue cardstock waves with seaweed, sea creatures, and seashells. (see photos)
  8. Your Ocean-in-a-Bottle is now complete. Shake it up and watch the fish swim!
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