Busy Bee Mommy and Me: Flowerpot Whale

My sister in law was preparing for VBS (Vacation Bible School), and found this awesome idea online at Oriental Trading. Instead of buying the kit, the idea was to create it ourselves. The next time my nephews were visiting we decided to give it a try. This one takes a little extra preparation, but it is well worth the effort! We had four kids participating, ages 2, 3, 4, and 6 years old, and every one had fun! They were all super proud of their whales too!

Here is the sample my sister in law created for VBS...

Materials:

- blue foam paper (1 sheet makes four whales)

- blue or white pipe cleaners (two per child)

- light blue craft paint (to match the foam sheet)

- 1 small flower pot with hold in the bottom (per child)

- tacky glue

- googly eyes (2 per child)

- 1 small paint brush (per child)

- black permanent marker

- scissors

Preparation:

(For younger kids)

1. Flip the flowerpot upside down on the blue foam paper.

2. Trace a circle around the flower pot, leaving about 2" open to trace the whale tail.

3. Trace flower petal shapes, about 2" in length. These will be the whale fins, you need 2 per child.

4. Cut out the whale tails and fins if you have little ones who can't use scissors yet.

5. Get paint ready, cover your table with newspaper, and set all materials for each child at their seat...

now you're ready to start!

The Craft:

1. Have each child paint the entire flowerpot blue.

2. While drying, allow the older kids to cut out the whale tail and fins.

3. Once the pots are dry, use the tacky glue to draw a circle around the circular part of the whale tail (on the blue foam paper). Place the flower pot, upside down, on top of the glue and hold for a minute.

4. Using tacky glue, place a fin on each side of the whale.