How about a “fishy” tale today?
You will need a file folder
and 2 orange, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue, and 1 black sheets of construction
paper. Trace a fish shape on
one side of the file folder and cut it out. Color around the fish so it looks like an ocean. Tape the sides of the folder
together. Cut the construction
paper into 7” x 9” rectangles.
Place the construction paper behind the fish cutout in this order: orange, red, yellow, blue, black, and
orange. Glue the words to the
story to the back of the file folder so you can read it as you remove one sheet
of paper at a time. Encourage the
children to join in on the chant.
Once there was an orange fish named Mitch who could change his color with the swish of his tail. All he had to say was:
I’m
Mitch the fish.
I
swim and I swish.
And
I can change my color
If
I wish.
One day he was swimming
around on the ocean floor and he saw a red lobster. He thought it would be fun to be a bright color like the
lobster so he said:
I’m
Mitch the fish.
I
swim and I swish.
And
I can change my color
If
I wish.
Suddenly he turned red. (Remove the orange sheet of paper to
make Mitch red.) The lobster said,
“I’m the only sea creature who can be red. I’ll snap at you!”
So Mitch decided he didn’t want to be red anymore. Just then he saw a yellow starfish and
he said:
I’m
Mitch the fish.
I
swim and I swish.
And
I can change my color
If
I wish.
And with a swish of his tail
Mitch turned yellow. (Remove the
red paper to show the yellow.) The
starfish said, “I’m the only creature who can be yellow. I’ll prickle you!” So Mitch decided he didn’t want to be
yellow anymore. Mitch saw a blue
whale and decided it would be fun to be blue so he said:
I’m
Mitch the fish.
I
swim and I swish.
And
I can change my color
If
I wish.
The whale said, “I’m the
only creature in the sea who can be blue.
I’ll spout water on you!”
Mitch thought it might not be a good idea to be blue, so when he saw a shark
he decided to be black and he said:
I’m
Mitch the fish.
I
swim and I swish.
And
I can change my color
If
I wish.
Well, you know the shark
didn’t like Mitch being black and he said, “I’m going to get you!” Finally Mitch said:
I’m
Mitch the fish.
I
swim and I swish.
And
I can change my color
If
I wish.
And he turned back into
being an orange fish again.
Because being yourself is the very best thing that you can be!
Flying Fish
You can make a little flying
fish from a strip of paper cut 8 ½” x 1 ½”. Cut slits halfway through near each end as shown. Hook the tabs together, toss it in the
air, and watch your fish fly!
