Craft an Underwater Viewer!

What You Need:

• Fish bowl, or large glass dish pan
• Coffee can, rinsed and dried
• Duct tape
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber band
• Sand
• Water
• Pliers
• Natural objects (seashells, twigs, bark, small pebbles)

What You Do:

1. Help your child remove both ends of the coffee can. Push down any sharp edges with the pliers and use duct tape to smooth over the edges. This is the underwater viewer.
2. Have your child tightly stretch a piece of plastic wrap over one end of the can. Secure it in place with a rubber band.
3. Fill the glass container with a couple of inches of sand. Then, add in natural items such as seashells and twigs.
4. Carefully cover the sand and objects with water. The water should be at least 5-6" deep. Allow the sand to settle in the bottom of the container.
5. Ask your child to describe what they see before they look through the viewer. Encourage them to describe shapes, colors, and whatever else they might observe.
6. Ask them to consider how the different organisms interact with each other in the ocean.
7. Place the plastic end of the underwater viewer about two inches into the water. Have them look inside the can and see if the objects look different. Challenge them to explain the differences between seeing objects above water and seeing them underwater.

Helpful tip: You might want to do a little research about marine life before beginning this project. Introduce your kid to some interesting sea creatures and plant life that inhabit the oceans.