If you’ve visited us before, you know that we love to celebrate the ocean all year long — and Halloween is the perfect time to bring out your inner sea animal!
Pin for later:
We’ve created a fun, simple DIY fish mask costume for kids and adults that uses a disposable face mask, paper craft mask (or paper plate), shimmery wrapping paper, and cupcake liners. You might even have many of the items in your house already!
Of course, we’ve added a splash of learning with a few fishy factoids. 😎
But before we get to the easy how-to, we are swimming with excitement with some BIG news! Drumroll please… 🙂
Our latest children’s book, A.B. and the 7 Seas, is coming soon!!! It’s a labor of love, and is scheduled to arrive on Amazon in late October/early November.
We couldn’t WAIT to share the cover with you today (center book):
Alex Brave – a young girl known as A.B – sets sail upon her most daring journey yet: to find ocean wonders for each and every letter of the alphabet. The book is jam-packed with delightful ocean characters from the well-known to the bizarre (2-3 per letter of the alphabet), and inspires curiosity, discovery, exploration, and appreciation for the ocean’s amazing creatures. (Ages 3-8.)
Soon, we’ll be sharing some NEW free activities & lessons with you that go along with the book, as well as a sneak peek behind the scenes in our art studio…so exciting! Stay tuned!
(Click here to join our email list to conveniently get these activities in your inbox.)
Now that we’ve filled you in, are you ready to dive in to the fishy fun? Let’s go!
Supplies
- shiny wrapping paper (we used 2 colors) – if buying online, search for holographic, metallic, iridescent, etc.
- paper craft mask (or use a paper plate & make the cutouts yourself)
- disposable face mask (kid-sized or adult, depending on the wearer)
- double-sided tape (we used 1/2″ wide)
- ribbon for tying on mask
- bottle cap or other small circular object to trace (OR use a circular paper punch if you have one)
- cupcake liners (2)
- pencil
- scissors
Step 1
Tie a piece of ribbon onto each side of the paper craft mask, so that you’ll be able to tie it onto your head. (We did this last but realized it’s probably easier to go ahead and do first.)
Be sure to make the ribbon long enough to fit around your head and tie comfortably.
Step 2
Use the bottle cap or other small circular object to trace circles onto the wrapping paper. Then, cut them out. You can do this as you go, or cut a bunch out at once. We did a little of both as we ran out, and ended up needing about 90 or so for the whole project.
If you have a small circle paper punch, unlike us, that’ll save you a bunch of time.
Fun Fishy Factoid #1: Fish scales are made of keratin, the same material that makes up our fingernails. They’re used to protect the fish and are often covered with slime for even extra protection!
Step 3
Starting at the bottom, put tape along the length of the disposable face mask, and then place the paper circles next to each other in a line.
Put another line of tape and offset circles above the first row so that they slightly overlap the ones underneath.
Continue to place tape and paper circles in this pattern as you go up. (See photos above)
Tip: The more you can space out the tape, the better breathability the mask will have, as well as using 1/2″ wide tape vs. 3/4″.)
Do the same process for the paper craft mask of placing tape and paper circles. You’ll likely need to use smaller strips of tape:
For any circles that might invade the bottom eye area, you can fold them over (cut if needed to fold easier) and stick them to tape placed on the back:
Fun Fishy Factoid #2: The age of a fish can be estimated by counting the rings on a scale, similar to the rings of a tree.
Step 4
To make the fins, fold the cupcake liners in half (tape shut if desired), and tape one to each side of the mask.
Fun Fishy Factoid #3: The fins of a fish help it steer, balance, and move forwards & backwards. The ones represented by the cupcake liners are called pectoral fins.
Once you’re all done with both pieces, put on the disposable face mask first, adjust as needed, and then place the eye mask on and tie to secure.
How is it to breathe while wearing you might ask? Surprisingly fine! Of course, it depends on how much tape you use and the thickness of the paper, but we were pleasantly surprised that breathing wasn’t a challenge. (Obviously, if the wearer has asthma or other breathing concerns, use your good judgement here.)
We hope you enjoyed the fishy fun! For more ocean love, be sure to check out our books on Amazon and more free activities and fun stuff on our homepage!
Disclaimer: All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
0 Comments for “DIY Fish Mask”