Make a cute DIY paper aquarium with a paper plate fishbowl and construction paper fish. This 3D craft stands on its own.
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Visiting the aquarium or reading about sea creatures might just inspire your child to want a fish tank at home. This craft turns a few paper plates into a paper aquarium that you can fill with fish or any sea creatures they can dream up.
This craft is mostly glue and construction paper, but you can easily customize it to fit your child’s interests. Cutout fish from coloring pages, make origami fish, or craft some paper tube fish to swim in the aquarium.
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How to make a paper aquarium
Supplies
- paper plates
- construction paper
- craft glue
- scissors
- pencil
- crayons
- clothespins, optional but handy
Instructions
1. Create the background.
Take one paper plate and cut out the center. Trace the cutout onto blue construction paper. Add about a half-inch gap and cut out the blue circle. Set aside the paper plate ring for later.
Glue the blue paper circle onto the center of the uncut paper plate. Set it aside to dry.
2. Decorate the background.
Cut a rectangle of brown paper. Trace the cutout piece again to mark the curve along the bottom. Trim the top to be an uneven edge that resembles sand or gravel in the bottom of the fish bowl. Cut small strips of green to resemble plants.
Glue the brown piece onto the blue background. Add the green plant strips wherever you like. Put some in front and some behind the brown for depth. Adding glue just at the bottom of the greenery will let them stick out a bit for texture.
3. Make the fish.
Sketch basic fish shapes onto construction paper in any colors. Most fish are a combination of ovals and triangles. Fins are either rectangles or triangles. Cut out the fish shapes, then use crayons to add details like faces and fins.
4. Attach the fish.
You can glue the fish directly to the blue background, but this quick technique will add a kind of 3D effect.
Cut a strip of paper in any color that’s about half an inch wide and can wrap around your finger. Wrap the paper into a circle and glue it closed. When the glue is set, attach it to the back of each fish.
Let the strips on the fish dry, then glue them onto the blue background.
5. Finish the fish bowl.
Take the paper plate ring you cut out at the beginning and glue it onto the whole plate.
For the base that will make the fishbowl stand, cut a paper plate into quarters. Take 2 of the quarters and trim the center from them.
Glue them facing together with a gap that the fishbowl will fit inside. It may be helpful to add glue and clothespin the small pieces, then slide the bigger bowl inside while it dries.
When all of the glue is dry, your paper aquarium is complete. It should be able to stand on its own, just like a real fishbowl.
Printable instructions
Paper Aquarium
Materials
- paper plates
- construction paper
- craft glue
- scissors
- pencil
- crayons
- clothespins, optional but handy
Instructions
- Create the background.
Take one paper plate and cut out the center. Trace the cutout onto blue construction paper. Add about a half-inch gap and cut out the blue circle. Set aside the paper plate ring for later. Glue the blue paper circle onto the center of the uncut paper plate. Set it aside to dry. - Decorate the background.
Cut a rectangle of brown paper. Trace the cutout piece again to mark the curve along the bottom. Trim the top to be an uneven edge that resembles sand or gravel in the bottom of the fish bowl. Cut small strips of green to resemble plants. Glue the brown piece onto the blue background. Add the green plant strips wherever you like. Put some in front and some behind the brown for depth. Adding glue just at the bottom of the greenery will let them stick out a bit for texture. - Make the fish.
Sketch basic fish shapes onto construction paper in any colors. Most fish are a combination of ovals and triangles. Fins are either rectangles or triangles. Cut out the fish shapes, then use crayons to add details like faces and fins. - Attach the fish.
You can glue the fish directly to the blue background, but this quick technique will add a kind of 3D effect. Cut a strip of paper in any color that's about half an inch wide and can wrap around your finger. Wrap the paper into a circle and glue it closed. When the glue is set, attach it to the back of each fish. Let the strips on the fish dry, then glue them onto the blue background. - Finish the fish bowl.
Take the paper plate ring you cut out at the beginning and glue it onto the whole plate. For the base that will make the fishbowl stand, cut a paper plate into quarters. Take 2 of the quarters and trim the center from them. Glue them facing together with a gap that the fishbowl will fit inside. It may be helpful to add glue and clothespin the small pieces, then slide the bigger bowl inside while it dries.
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