Monday, July 06, 2015

Giant Shark Suncatcher Craft

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Looking for shark crafts for preschoolers or toddlers? Then you've got to try this huge shark suncatcher craft! It's a perfect Shark Week craft idea!

Contact paper crafts are so easy to do, but I particularly love using contact paper to make suncatchers because they let just the right amount of light through. 


So we created a giant shark suncatcher craft as part of an under the sea theme. It's a perfect way to work on fine motor skills and because of its scale, it was meant to be a collaborative project for my boys. Three year old K, however, had other plans and barely participated.

Giant shark suncatcher craft for kids from And Next Comes L

What You Need to Make this Shark Craft

To make a giant shark suncatcher, we used:

  • Tape
  • Tissue paper, various colors cut into little squares (We like to reuse our tissue paper from birthday gifts, so I had no gray on hand. So we used a combination of light blue, white, and purple.)

How to Make a Giant Shark Suncatcher for Shark Week!

On the non-sticky side of the contact paper, I drew the outline of a large shark. Then I taped the contact paper to a window. My boys love working on a vertical surface and I recently read that it's actually good to encourage kids to work on a vertical surface. Here's the shark before I peeled off the backing to reveal the sticky side of the contact paper. Great shark, isn't it?

Giant shark suncatcher craft for kids from And Next Comes L

You can either encourage your kids to rip the tissue paper into pieces or use scissors to cut the tissue paper into little squares. I went with option B as I was trying to avoid the mess that is usually associated with option A. Then let them decorate the shark.

Fine motor shark suncatcher craft for kids from And Next Comes L

Fine motor shark suncatcher craft for kids from And Next Comes L

You could seal the final craft with another piece of contact paper. I didn't, but I also didn't have another piece of contact paper that large kicking around. Regardless, I love how it turned out! Here's what it looks like from inside the house.

Giant shark suncatcher craft - perfect craft for an under the sea preschool unit from And Next Comes L

And here's how it looks from outside looking in. He's totally cute, right? And fun fact: his names is Rhymes. Upon completion, five year old J declared, "I will call you Rhymes. Rhymes the shark."

Giant shark suncatcher craft - perfect craft for an under the sea preschool unit from And Next Comes L

Other Ideas You'll Love




This shark craft was part of the Light & Reflections Series. Here's some other fun ideas from this series:

Fish Color Matching on the Light Table from Still Playing School

Under the Sea Small World on the Light Table from Where Imagination Grows

Giant shark suncatcher craft for kids from And Next Comes L