Jellyfish

The first thing that caught our eye when we arrived at the aquarium was a beautiful art installation. The jellyfish pieces were hanging in a glass enclosure on our way in. They were beautiful and handmade and inspired us to make our very own jellyfish. Here is what we saw.....

After revisiting the photos from the day, we came across the jellyfish and thought we could make our own. 

Day one involved painting tissue paper onto balloons with watered down white glue. In partners, the children rolled their sleeves up and got the sticky job started. Peeling the dried glue off their hands was almost more fun than the actual painting and layering of tissue so a second day was needed for a final layer! We wanted to ensure they would be strong enough.

After a very final coat (thank you Miss Jennifer) of the glue, to smooth down the loose pieces, they dries solid and were ready to pop and cut in half. This was pretty exciting! (Insert ooohs and ahhhhs here)

Then it was time for the tentacles. We set up two help yourself ribbon stations and strands of colourful ribbon were carefully stuck to packing tape before being fixed to the bottom side of the domes. Some kids couldn't get enough ribbon and we even curled some of the extra long pieces for some texture and boing!

Our jellyfish will be swimming tomorrow. Can't wait to see what they look like up! 

....here they are! The kids were so excited to see them hanging around the classroom. They are so vibrant and fun. The gentle breeze from the door propped open moves and twirls them and they look like they're dancing in water. 

Aquarium Visit

Our visit to the Vancouver Aquarium last week was amazing! We we very fortunate to participate in the Scientist in Residence program this year and to cap off our excellent learning about marine mammals with Dr. Dom at the aquarium. 

Here are a handful of highlights from our day. 

Feathers for Lunch

We read Lois Ehlert's book, Feathers for Lunch. Students chose a bird to recreate from the story. Robins and blue jays were popular picks. 

They used tracers before cutting their birds out, as well as a wing. They studied colour copies of the birds and referred to them as they blended oil pastels to create their feathered friends. 

A brass fastener held the wing in place and twigs were collected and taped on for legs. 

The next day, gardens were bloomed and provided colourful homes for our birds. The children had seven Popsicle sticks each to design their own garden gates. Pipe cleaners served as flower stems and scrapbook paper was cut into tulips, daffodils, bleeding hearts and other spring blooms. Crepe paper and felt leaves were added along with buttons to finish off the flowers. 

The birds were thoughtfully placed in the gardens, some on the ground, others in flight and a few resting on gates.