For today’s dynamic learning adventure, we are making a paper plate stingray to highlight its unique body and characteristics. Also, look at my Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook for more ocean ideas.
Stingrays are a type of fish that live in warm, shallow waters.
And they have flat diamond-shaped bodies with long, whip-like tails.
If you have ever seen it in the ocean or an aquarium their bodies seem to effortlessly float gracefully through the water.
They use their large pectoral fins to propel themselves.
They flap their fins in a wave-like motion, starting at the head and moving down to the tail.
This creates a powerful thrust that allows them to move quickly and efficiently through the water.
While you are making your paper plate stingray there is no reason why you can’t learn more about them with facts, videos, and books.
And then use it as a path to more amazing paper plate ocean animals that I have rounded up for you.
OCEAN BOOKS FOR KIDS
Too, look at these fun ocean books to add to your home library.
16 Ocean Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To
Choose a few of these ocean themed books to go along with your study of the Oceans. Whether you're looking for a spine for a unit study or literature, you'll love this roundup.
Join Danny Meadow Mouse, Jimmy Skunk, and Reddy Fox as they explore the seashore and take a closer look at the habits and habitats of the creatures they find. Discover the Seahorse, Shrimp, Crab, Anemone, Gull, and so many more.
The Burgess Seashore Book for Children is a wonderful way to introduce young ones to the fascinating world beneath us and is a perfect compliment to earlier books in this series, the Bird, Animal, and Flower books.
This edition is complete and unabridged with all of the beautiful illustrations by W.H. Southwick and George Sutton
Seaside Naturalist is an illustrated guide to marine plants and animals includes the characteristics of protozoa, arthropods, sponges, mollusks, reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals.
The book opens by explaining how different types of animals are able to breathe and survive underwater, and the different families to which they belong. Subsequent pages are dedicated to specific creatures, including sea turtles, whales, sharks, stingrays, and seahorses, and show varied life in specific habitats, such as a coral reef or deep sea bed. The Big Book of the Blue also explores the underwater world thematically, looking at animals in danger, learning how to spot creatures at the beach, and discovering how to do our part to save sea life. Beautiful and filled with fascinating facts, young, curious readers won’t be able to tear their eyes away from the page.
Island of the Blue Dolphins begins with a young girl named Karana who is living on the Island of the Blue Dolphins (fancy name, right?) with her younger brother, Ramo, and sister, Ulape. One day, a group of Russian hunters (Aleutians) land on the island to hunt for otter. This is when the trouble really begins.
Once upon a time in France, a baby was born under the summer sun. His parents named him Jacques. As he grew, Jacques fell in love with the sea. He dreamed of breathing beneath the waves and swimming as gracefully as a fish. In fact, he longed to become a manfish. Jacques Cousteau grew up to become a champion of the seas and one of the best-known oceanographers in the world. In this lovely biography, now in paperback, poetic text and gorgeous paintings come together to create a portrait of Cousteau that is as magical as it is inspiring.
A beautiful edition with 110 images from the 1875 English edition. Use Amazon's Look inside feature to compare this edition with others. You'll be impressed by the differences. Don't be fooled by other versions that have no illustrations or contain very small print. Reading our edition will make you feel that you are traveling the seas with Captain Nemo himself.
More than 100 original illustrations by Louis Rhead. You want to read this book with illustrations.
An introduction by W. D. Howells.
Nicely formatted text in an easy-to-read font.
A beautiful cover from the 1891 edition.
Embark on a captivating tour of the waters that cover 70 percent of our planet! See our oceans come to life in mind-blowing detail. This is the ultimate children’s visual encyclopedia about the awe-inspiring blue planet!
How did a nineteenth-century dressmaker revolutionize science? Jeanne Power was creative: she wanted to learn about the creatures that swim beneath the ocean waves, so she built glass tanks and changed the way we study underwater life forever. Jeanne Power was groundbreaking: she solved mysteries of sea animals and published her findings at a time when few of women’s contributions to science were acknowledged. Jeanne Power was persistent: when records of her research were lost, she set to work repeating her studies. And when men tried to take credit for her achievements, she stood firm and insisted on the recognition due to her.
Follow Rothman’s inquisitive mind and perceptive eye along shorelines, across the open ocean, and below the waves for an artistic exploration of the watery universe. Through her drawings, discover how the world’s oceans formed, why the sea is salty, and the forces behind oceanic phenomena such as rogue waves. Colorful anatomical profiles of sea creatures from crustacean to cetacean, surveys of seafaring vessels and lighthouses, and the impact of plastic and warming water temperatures are just part of this compendium of curiosities that will entertain and educate readers of all ages.
Do you know a kid who’s captivated by what goes on beneath the ocean’s surface? This amazing entry into ocean books for kids is packed with hundreds of incredible facts for hours of underwater exploration. Pages of full-color pictures feature life in and around the sea including fish, dolphins, and shipwrecks!
Dive into the mesmerizing world of bioluminescence with "All About Bioluminescence." In this captivating book, readers embark on a journey through the depths of the ocean to discover the extraordinary glow-in-the-dark creatures that inhabit its mysterious realm. From the enchanting sea angel to the infamous anglerfish, each page is filled with stunning illustrations and fascinating facts about these luminous beings.With a focus on deep-sea dwellers, readers will uncover the secrets behind bioluminescence and learn how these creatures use light to communicate, camouflage, and lure prey. But the adventure doesn't stop there! "All About Bioluminescence" also includes hands-on activities like a glow stick experiment, allowing readers to experience the magic of bioluminescence firsthand.
One of the most enduringly popular adventure tales, Treasure Island began in 1881 as a serialized adventure entitled "The Sea-Cook"in the periodical Young Folks. Completed during a stay at Davos, Switzerland, where Stevenson had gone for his health, it was published in 1883 in the form we know today.Set in the eighteenth century, Treasure Island spins a heady tale of piracy, a mysterious treasure map, and a host of sinister characters charged with diabolical intentions. Seen through the eyes of Jim Hawkins, the cabin boy of the Hispaniola, the action-packed adventure tells of a perilous sea journey across the Spanish Main, a mutiny led by the infamous Long John Silver, and a lethal scramble for buried treasure on an exotic isle.
In Oceans and Seas! With 25 Science Projects for Kids readers ages 7 though 10 dive into the underwater world of some of the most amazing landscapes on Earth. On this amazing underwater adventure, kids experience the ocean’s tropical reefs and spot crabs, sea sponges, and thousands of kinds of fish darting in its crags and folds. They’ll meet a giant squid with eyes the size of dinner plates and an mbrella-like bioluminescent jellyfish.
From both a historical and scientific point of view, above and below the surface, this engaging guide brings the world’s oceans to life through fun facts, illustrations, and in-depth information. Interactive activities appear throughout, ranging from making solar stills and simple fishing spears to experimenting with a homemade diving bell and figuring out how much water it really takes to survive. With the oceans being the least explored environment on Earth, this reference illuminates some of the most incredible and surprising plants and animals as well as how to survive and navigate these vast expanses.
An intricate study of tide pool life is presented in text and pictures through the story of Pagoo, a her-mit crab.
Also, look at some fun facts about stingrays.
STUPENDOUS STINGRAY FACTS
Some species of stingrays can grow to be very large. The giant oceanic manta ray can grow up to 23 feet long and weigh up to 3,000 pounds!
Stingrays use their tails to defend themselves from predators. The tail has a sharp, barbed stinger that can cause painful wounds, but it is also used to steer them through the water.
Stingrays are made of cartilage instead of bone and their bodies are very flexible.
They are carnivores and eat worms, mollusks, shrimp, crab, clams, oysters, mussels, small fish, and crustaceans
Stingrays are related to sharks and share many similar features; the biggest difference is that stingrays have their pectoral fins fused with their head.
There are many different types of rays including stingrays, electric rays, butterfly rays, round rays, manta rays, guitarfish and sawfish. There are about 220 different species all together.
Check out this Wild Kratts video, The Vanishing Stingray, to learn so much more about these fascinating ocean creatures.
If you are interested the resource shown here is The Big Book of Blue and contained a wonderful two page spread on our subject.
I also want to share with you these plastic ocean animals that can be used to create sensory bins, trays, dioramas, or just to add a bit of the theme to your science shelf or in a basket to introduce the topic.
MORE OCEAN ANIMAL ACTIVITIES
- Under the Sea Science Activities With Amazing Disappearing Octopus Ink
- Exploring The Ocean With Ice Experiments: Simple Sea Animal Rescue
- How To Mix Glow In The Dark Slime Ingredients To Make Awesome Ocean Slime
- How to Make a Fun Paper Plate Fish | F is for Fish
And look at these paperplate ocean animals.
ADORABLE PAPER PLATE OCEAN ANIMALS
- Wow isn’t this Paper Plate Whale just amazing? I love the detail and uniqueness of this craft to show off a special feature.
- You just have to include this cute Paper Plate Crab Craft into your paper plate ocean animal collection.
- Make a Paper Plate Pufferfish to show off this amazing inflatable creature.
- Combine two inexpensive craft supplies to create a Paper Plate & Bubble Wrap JellyFish Craft.
- This Paper Plate Starfish is almost unrecognizable as a serviceable disposable plate, you could make it your own with patterns.
- This Seahorse Paper Plate is absolutely adorable and looks like so much fun to make.
HOW TO MAKE A PAPER PLATE STINGRAY
You will need:
- Craft glue or hot glue
- A paper plate
- A paper bowl
- Scissors
- Craft paints
- Paintbrushes
Begin by laying out two paper plates and drawing a stingray’s body on one, including the wings. then use the second to create the long whiplike tail.
Be sure you leave the body big enough to fit the bowl.
Cut out those outlines and glue the two pieces together with the tail at the back.
Add the paper bowl on top, securing all the way around with glue. Trim the edges a bit if necessary.
Paint all over, covering both the plates and the bowl in your base color.
Before the paint is completely dry you can come in with a second or even third color to add some detail to your stingray.
We made a black stingray for our model like in our reference book.
Don’t forget to add some eyes.
Allow it to dry completely.
