Felt Fishing Game

Warning!

Adult supervision: choking hazards, scissors

Please read the procedure before beginning! After reading, please watch the video. Some activities require more time and cleanup than others. You also have the choice of performing these activities in a way that suits your needs.

Not for children under 3 years. Adult supervision is required. Follow approved procedures.

Materials

· Large Piece of Blue Felt

· 4 Pieces of Colored Felt

· Fish Template

· Scissors

· Black Marker

· Glue Stick

· Paperclips

· Dowel rod

· String

· Ring Magnet

Procedures

1. Using the scissors, trim the large piece of blue felt into the shape of a fishing pond. Don’t trim off too much, as 3 fish (made using the fish template) will need to fit in the pond.

2. Cut out the fish template from the cardstock.

3. Using the marker, trace the fish template two times on one of the pieces of colored felt. Cut out the two fish shapes. Use the glue stick to glue a paperclip near the front end of one of the fish shapes, then glue the other one on top so that the paperclip is sandwiched between the two.

4. Repeat step 3 with two of the other pieces of felt to make a total of 3 fish.

5. Use the marker to draw faces on each fish. Number the fish from 1 to 3.

6. What sorts of things are normally found in a pond? Use the remaining colorful felt to cut out shapes that resemble these things.

7. Lay the blue piece of felt flat, and press the felt fish and the shapes from step 6 on the felt so that they stick. The pieces can be picked up and rearranged, but will stay put if they are pressed to the pond.

8. To make the fishing rod, tie one end of the string to the ring magnet, and tie the other end of the string to one end of the dowel rod.

9. Pick up the end of the dowel rod that does not have string tied to it, and catch fish by hanging the magnet over the pond and getting the fish to stick to the magnet. Why do the fish stick to the magnet?

Take the fish off of the magnet, set them to the side, and add up the numbers! Put the fish back in the pond and play again

The Science Behind It

You have successfully caught a fish by magnet fishing! Congrats! This type of fishing is just one of many ways to fish. The reason that your fish was caught was that the paperclip is magnetic and so was the ring shaped magnet. What is a magnet? A magnet is a rock or metal that can pull certain types of metal towards itself. The two come together because there are invisible forces that are connecting the paperclip and the ring magnet. This force is an attraction that is pulling the paperclip to the magnet. There are not just magnets in this activity, there are types of animals that live in the ponds. What kind of animals would you want in your pond? Have fun creating them and fishing for your animals by catch and release.