Flying Fish Stabile

Flying Fish Stabile lesson plan

Explore ocean life. Then create a captivating fish display with exciting Crayola® Color Explosion™ paper and Model Magic.

  • 1.

    Investigate stabiles and mobiles, both invented by artist Alexander Calder. How are the two types of displays alike and different? What principles of physics do they use? To further your science studies, find fish with different body and fin shapes. What geometric patterns do their scales form?

  • 2.

    Using Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils and the information you found about marine life, sketch small fish on half of a white side of Crayola Color Explosion paper. Fold the paper so the black sides are together. Cut out along your outlines.

  • 3.

    Turn each set of matching fish with the black side up. Decorate them with the Color Explosion color-reveal markers. Duplicate patterns you found in nature.

  • 4.

    With Crayola School Glue, attach a chenille stem between each back-to-back pair of fish. Clip them together until the glue dries.

  • 5.

    Use Crayola Model Magic to create a stabile base for your fish. Mix colors. Form coral, shells, and other authentic sea plants to add to your base. Stick the chenille stems with the fish into the Model Magic. Your unique science stabile is ready to displa

Benefits

  • Students research the similarities and differences between stabiles and mobiles, and the physics principles embodied in each construction.
  • Students investigate different types of fish and their habitats, paying special attention to their unique body shapes and scale patterns.
  • Students produce 3-D replicas of species of fish and habitat features on a stabile.

Adaptations

  • Create a mobile with the same or similar science themes.
  • For a complete science fair project, paint underwater background. Place it behind your stabile. Add labels and descriptions of the fish depicted, their habitats, and other information.
  • Assessment: Check initial research before fish are created. Verify that designs are based on real fish. Observe that directions are followed for the stabile’s construction.