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Contact Paper Jellyfish

Akane Everitt
Crafts6 Comments 0

Jellyfish are fascinating creatures that can be found in oceans around the world. They come in all shapes and sizes, and their translucent bodies make them look almost magical as they float through the water. Teaching kids about jellyfish can be a fun and engaging way to introduce them to marine biology and the importance of ocean conservation.

One way to do this is by making contact paper jellyfish.  The result is a beautiful and colorful jellyfish that can be hung up on a window or displayed in a child’s room.

While making the jellyfish, you can talk to your kids about the different types of jellyfish and where they live. You can also discuss the role that jellyfish play in the ecosystem and how important it is to protect our oceans. This activity not only promotes creativity and fine motor skills, but it also helps to instill a love and appreciation for the natural world in children. So, grab your supplies and start making some contact paper jellyfish today!

I found this cute craft idea on a blog called Princess With a Half Prince Tiara.

Supplies:

  •  Two sheets of clear contact paper
  • Ribbon -We used curly ribbon and fabric ribbon.   Next time however I will use ALL curly ribbon just because I liked how it looked.
  • Scissors
  • Sequins, glitter, stickers (anything to decorate your collage with)
  • Clear tape (the girls added so much to their collage it was hard for the contact paper to stick together, so we closed the edges up with tape).

Directions:

First we gathered our supplies (glitter, stickers, sequins, and ribbon) and then I cut out large pieces of contact paper in the shape of a letter “D”.  I cut two pieces out together, so that they would be the same size.  We also cut out ribbon for our tentacles.

 
We peeled the backing paper off one of the sheets of contact paper.  I then let the girls decorate their jellyfish to their hearts content.  They could either put their tentacles on first or decorate the body.
 
 
We read on the internet that there are more than 200 species of jellyfish and the number of tentacles they have varies from just a few to more than 800.  We added 15 ribbons (tentacles) to our jellyfish.
 

My daughter counting the tentacles.

Once the girls were done, we peeled the other sheet of contact paper and stuck the two sheets of contact paper together.  I then taped the outer edges so the two pieces of contact paper wouldn’t come apart.  The completed craft looks really pretty hanging in the window.

 
Some fun facts about jellyfish:
 
  1. Jellyfish are not actually fish – they are invertebrates, which means they don’t have a backbone.
  2. Jellyfish are made up of more than 90% water, which makes them very fragile and delicate.
  3. Jellyfish come in a wide range of colors, from pink and blue to yellow and green.
  4. Some species of jellyfish are bioluminescent, which means they can glow in the dark.
  5. Jellyfish don’t have a brain or a central nervous system, but they do have a simple nervous system that allows them to detect light and movement.
  6. Most jellyfish have tentacles that contain stinging cells called nematocysts. These help the jellyfish to catch and eat small prey.
  7. Some species of jellyfish can grow to be very large – the lion’s mane jellyfish, for example, can have tentacles that span up to 120 feet!
  8. Jellyfish have been around for more than 500 million years, making them one of the oldest creatures on Earth.