After reading the book "Rainbow Fish," cut fish shapes out of white construction paper. Paint the fish with glitter paint or add glitter to tempera paint. For a shiny finish, mix corn syrup with food coloring and glitter. Paint the mixture on the paper fish and allow it to dry for several days. Read the book "Swimmy" then cut a large fish out of white butcher paper. Cut out a small red fish from colored construction for each child. Have the children write their names on the fish then glue each one onto the butcher paper. Add one black paper fish for the eye to reflect the details in the story.
Make colorful jellyfish for a bulletin board or hang them from the ceiling. Have children cover paper plates with small pieces of colorful tissue paper, using glue sticks or liquid starch. Once the glue has dried, fold the paper plates in half and staple the edges to make a half-circle. Staple 12-inch streamers of tissue paper to the curved edge of each paper plate to make the jellyfish's tentacles.
Let each child paint two paper plates red and allow them to dry. Fold one plate in half and staple along the rounded edges to form a half-circle. Cut crab claws from the remaining pieces of the paper plate and staple two claws to the rounded edge. Add black paper circles for eyes.
Staple an inexpensive fisherman's net to the bulletin board and display the fish artwork on the bulletin board. Hide shells in the sand table or fill the table with water and add toy fish. Pour plaster of Paris in small paper bowls and add some decorative shells and sand. Peel away the paper bowl, once dried, for an ocean-themed paperweight. Set up an ocean theme in the pretend center with a small boat, fishing poles, life jackets and fish. Add coconut extract to a homemade play dough recipe for "beach dough."