A sea creature mural can provide an artistic outlet and help the artist take a wider view of the sea and its environment when considering which creatures to depict. Sea turtles running toward the sea after birth or sea otters sunning on island rocks rising offshore are sea creatures, but they rely on land also. To make a sea creature mural, pin a long piece of butcher paper to the wall and draw a seascape. If this is a class project, have each child draw his or her favorite sea creature on it. The millions of creatures can’t all be depicted, but a fair representation makes the mural more exciting. It also gives kids a visual representation of how all the sea creatures interact and co-exist in the sea.
Egg carton cups are a favorite among school teachers, and for good reason. Artistic people have designed many crafts with egg carton cups and there are a few that involve sea creatures. Add some squiggly eyes and you’ve created your own starfish, oyster, octopus, squid or fish. To make the starfish, make five cuts around the side of the cup to lay it out, and then cut the ends to make a star shape and add two eyes to the center. An oyster takes two cups facing brim to brim; the fish takes a few construction-paper fins and the squid adds a few fancy green cords flowing from beneath the cup. All of these can be painted and enhanced with squiggly eyes.
Fishing net art is a popular choice of décor, but it can also be a fun activity. Things brought out of the sea in fishing nets are usually the subject of the artwork. Keep it to creatures of a reasonable size to be drawn into a small fishing boat. If this is a class project, divide the class into groups, hang the fishing net and assign a quadrant to each group. Seaweed, seahorses and seashells are some of the common things found in fishing net art, but each group could brainstorm to decide what the feel of their quadrant should be and how they can add realism to the work.
Making a sea aquarium is a fun activity for younger children. To make an aquarium you need two paper plates. Cut out a hole from the center of one and tape clear plastic to cover the hole. On the other draw sea creatures or use construction paper to make the sea creature and paste them onto the plate. Glue the plates together so that the sea creature art can be seen through the plastic.