Sea Anemone Craft

Use an empty toilet roll and a plastic bag to create this lovely sea anemone craft to go along with a preschool ocean theme.

Although sea anemones might look like beautiful coloured flowers in the water, they are actually animals. The parts that look like petals are tentacles with tiny stinging cells.

They use them to catch their prey to eat. If another tiny animal lands on an anemone, the anemone stings it with venom that paralyses it and then pushes the prey into its mouth in the centre of its body.

The stings also protect anemones from being eaten by other animals, but the venom is not harmful to people.

Clown fish (like Nemo in Finding Nemo) shelter in anemones which protect them from other fish.

1 empty toilet roll per child or a tube made of card
plastic shopping bags (coloured)
scissors
contact glue
sticky tape
any sparklies such as glitter, sequins, small buttons, beads or craft ‘sparkles’ - even confetti or cereal bits could be used!

2. Decorate one half of the plastic strip (lengthwise) by glueing on the sparklies. (This is optional)

3. Allow some time for the glue to dry so the tentacles won't stick together when you cut them.

4. Cut the decorated half into thin strips that will become the tentacles of the sea anemone.

5. Wrap the solid half of the plastic strip around the toilet roll in layers and fasten the end down with sticky tape. The tentacles should be free to flutter and twinkle!

Variation

You could make smaller sea anemones by cutting the toilet rolls in half or making smaller cardboard tubes. (See below)

	Web www.shirleys-preschool-activities.com