shark Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

Binary Code for Kids- Spelling Shark Printables

July 9, 2020 By Deirdre

This set of binary code for kids spelling printables focuses on the words shark, tooth, and fin. These shark printables are a fun way to introduce your children to the binary code for alphabet letters. There is a binary code key at the bottom of each page. Children write the code for each letter beside it. Then they will color in the byte or group of circles beside the code. The ones in the code will be filled in. The zeros in the code will be left blank.

What is a Binary Code?

It is the code used by a computer to understand letters, numbers, symbols, and commands. The code uses groups of 8 numbers to represent each letter, number, symbol, and command you type in on a keyboard. The only numbers that the computer can use to create the code are 0’s and 1’s.

Binary code can be confusing. Therefore, you may want to visit Teach Kids Binary in One Simple Stepto to get more information on how to teach it to your kids.

Getting the Shark Printables

First, you will need to download Binary Code for Kids – Spelling Shark Words .

Second, you will need to open the worksheet set in Acrobat Reader. If you don’t have Acrobat Reader, you can use whatever PDF reader you have on your computer.

Third, you will need to print out one worksheet for each of your children. You will notice that the set includes answer keys.

Exploring Coding Before Starting the Activity

Below you will find some wonderful books that talk about coding for kids.

Working on Spelling Shark Words in Binary Code

First, you will want your children to search the binary alphabet chart at the bottom of the worksheet to find the numeric code for each letter. (You may want to let them know that the codes they are working with represent capital letters. Lowercase letters have a slightly different binary code.)

Once they placed each letter’s 0’s and 1’s on the lines, they are ready to move on to coloring the circles next to the code with a pencil. They will leave all the circles that represent 0’s empty. The circles that represent 1’s will be colored in.

After that, you will want them to double-check that they have filled the correct circles. It is easy to mix up which circles need to be filled in and which don’t. It is for that reason I suggested your children will them in with a pencil.

Why Fill in Eight Circles?

A computer uses a group of eight switches to send a binary code. The switches can be turned on or be left off. Each 0 in a binary code represents a switch left off. Each 1 represents a switch turned on. Your children will create a visual of the switches turned on or left off for each letter.

If you like this binary code activity, here are some more coding activities you will love.

Pool Noodle Ideas- Building Binary Codes

Gruffalo Coding Sheet

The Snowy Day Coding Printable

Magical Creatures STEM Coding and Drawing Page

This is part of the Shark Worksheets for Kids (Five Days Worth) event.

Offline Coding Academy -Printable Shark Algorithm Game Boards

July 6, 2020 By Deirdre

Printable shark algorithm game boards are a great way to introduce your children to coding. Coding is simply creating a series of steps that will help complete a task. These game boards invite children to connect the beginning of the game board to the end. Arrows children place in the squares connecting the beginning to the end will create the algorithm.

Shark pictures have been placed in some of the blocks. The arrows will need to point in the direction needed to leave the box and move to the next box that doesn’t contain a shark. While there is more than one way to complete each gameboard, some routes are more direct than others. When a coder is creating an algorithm, they try to use the fewest steps possible. Some children may try to find the shortest route with the fewest twists and turns. Some children will try to come up with the most creative route. It will be fun to see what your children choose to do.

Before Building an Algorithm Read a Book

Your children may not have a lot of experience with coding and how it is used. Before you have them start any of the algorithm game boards, you may want to read them a book about coding. You will find several children’s books about coding below.

Links below are affiliate links.

Getting the Algorithm Game Boards Ready

The Shark Algorithm Game Boards are available to download in a PDF format. You will need to have a program like Acrobat Reader available to open them up. While the game board feature color graphics. You can print them out in black and white. (You will notice that is what we have done.)

Hint: If you plan on using them over and over again, you will want to print them out on card stock and laminate them. They will last longer that way.

There are two ways for your children to build algorithms on the game boards. The first is drawing arrows in the boxes. The second is using the arrows that come with the game board set. If you choose to use the printable arrows, you will want to print them on card stock and laminate them.

Working on the Algorithm Game Boards

There are a number of ways your children can work on building algorithms. The first thing they will need to do is figure out what path they will use to connect the word Start to the word Finish.
Before you have them work on their own, you will want to walk them through creating the first few steps.
They will need to decide which way to go to leave the Start box. Then they will draw or place an arrow pointing the direction they will need to go to leave the box. Next, they will decide what direction they will need to go to move from that box to the next. They will continue to build their path with arrows until they reach the word End.
Some children may need to build a full algorithm path with you or a partner before they work on their own.
When they have completed their algorithm, please have them tell you what it is. You may also want them to tell you why they chose the path they did.

Here are some more algorithm activities:

Offline Coding Academy- Printable Games with Penguins

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish Algorithm Page

Offline Coding Academy -Muffin Tin Algorithm

Coding Games for Kids from Little Bins for Little Hands

This is part of the Shark Worksheets for Kids (Five Days Worth) event.

Cute Shark Mask Template

June 27, 2020 By Deirdre

This cute shark mask template will be fun to decorate with your kids. The mask would be fun to work on during Shark Week or while studying the ocean. It is based on a paper plate shark mask I created several years ago. While many of you have made that mask, I thought more of you would like a mask that is easy to cut out and decorate.

Shark Themed Books

If you are having your children craft this mask while celebrating or studying ocean life, you may want to read them a book about sharks. Below you will find several wonderful shark books.

The links below are affiliate links.

Getting the Cute Shark Mask

The cute shark mask is a PDF. You will need to open the Cute Shark Mask Template with Acrobat Reader or another PDF reader. Once you have the template open, you will want to print it out on cardstock. Traditional printer paper will be way too flimsy. If you have heavy copy paper, it would work too.

Decorating the Shark Mask

There are so many ways you can decorate the shark mask. We used teal acrylic paint and painted it on with a fork. Fork painting gives some texture to the mask. Here some other ways you could decorate the mask.

First, you could color the mask with crayons or markers.
Second, you could glue small squares of blue tissue paper to the mask. It will look a little like a mosaic.
Third, the mask could be painted with cotton balls or a paintbrush.

Wearing the Mask

There are a number of ways you can wear the mask.

First, you can punch holes on either side of the mask. Then you can attach yarn to both of the holes. You can tie the two pieces of yarn in the back.
Second, you can attach a strip of cardstock to both sides of the mask. Your children can then slip the mask over their heads.
Third, you may have children that don’t want to wear the mask on their face. You can attach a wooden craft stick to the mask. Children can hold the mask over their faces.

If you are looking for some other shark-themed activities, you will find some really cool ones below.

Newspaper Shark

Shark Cootie Catcher

Shark Pool Noodle Launcher

Pool Noodle Shark with Rubber Band Launcher

June 27, 2019 By Deirdre

A number of years ago I shared with you a shark-themed pool noodle craft. Recently my friend Caren can up with a way to use my craft idea to make a flying shark with a rubber band launcher. Your kids are just going to love it. It will be fun to make during Shark Week, an ocean-themed birthday party, or an ocean unit at school. While your children will love shooting into the air, I have listed a number of ways that your children can use their shark to explore math concepts at the end of this post.

Before your children start creating their pool noodle sharks, you may want to read them a book about sharks. It will help them gain some background information on sharks and what they look like.

Links below are affiliate links.

Creating the Pool Noodle Shark with Rubberband Launcher

Getting the Supplies Ready

You will need to gather and prepare the following supplies:

6-inch section of a pool noodle
Clothespin with a spring in the center
Thick rubber band
One whole popsicle stick
One half of a popsicle stick
3 fins cut out of a blue foam sheet
2 rows of teeth cut out of a white foam sheet
Black Sharpie marker
Serrated knife
Exacto knife

Getting the Pool Noodle Ready

1. You will need to cut a mouth section out of one end of the pool noodle.
2. Then you will need to cut slits on either side of the pool noodle. The slits need to be right across from each other. You will want them to be about 3 inches from the front of the pool noodle.
3. Next, you will need to place a slit on the top of the pool noodle about 3 inches from the front of the pool noodle.

Finally, you will need to create slits to place the teeth in inside the mouth. You will need a slit at the top and one at the bottom.

Putting the Shark Together

1. You will need to place the rubber band long ways around the clothespin.
2. Place the clothespin in the mouth of the shark. You will want it just barely stick out of the shark’s mouth.

1. Then you will place the whole popsicle stick through the side slots in the shark. A section of the popsicle should stick out on both sides of the shark. (This popsicle stick will hold the rubber band in place too.)
2. A fin will then be glued onto each end of the popsicle stick.
3. Next, you will place the half section of the popsicle stick into the top slot.
4. The final fin will need to be glued onto the half section of the popsicle stick.

Next, you will need to draw eyes on the shark.
The teeth will need to be slipped into the mouth slits.
Finally, you will remove the clothespin from the rubber band.

Playing with the Pool Noodle Shark

Children will need to hold the shark in one hand. Then they will place the pointer finger on the other hand into the rubber band end that is sticking out of the shark. They will need to pull the rubber band forward and the shark back. When they feel the tension on the rubber band, they will let it go and it will fly off their finger.

Math Concepts You Can Explore

Your children can try launching the shark at various angles.
Children can measure how far the shark flies with a measuring tape.
Your children can skip count or count up to a specific number before launching their shark.

Here are some more shark-themed activities!

How to Do Sharks Float?

How to Make a Pool Noodle Shark

How to Draw a Shark with an Algorithm Worksheets

DIY Nerf Target for Shark Week

July 16, 2017 By Deirdre

We have tons of Nerf guns at my house. My sister Shell has handed down at least twelve to JDaniel from his cousins! (Your children may have a number of them too.) While we have a number of guns, we don’t have a Nerf target. I thought it would be fun to make him a shark themed nerf target for Shark Week. If your kids need a nerf target, you can follow the directions below for creating your own shark target.

DIY Nerf Target for Shark Week

This target isn’t hard to put together. I put our shark target together in an afternoon.

Supplies

Box 18 inches Tall and 10 inches Deep
Gray Acrylic Paint
White Acrylic Paint
Ruler
Scissors
Paintbrush
Duct Tape
Three Wooden Paint Sticks

Creating the Nerf Target

Getting the Box Ready

The first thing you will need to do is cut off the two long flaps and one of the short flaps off the front of the box.

Then you will place the box face down and flip out the bottom flaps. If the flaps are not horizontal, turn the box so that they are.

Creating the Teeth

You will need to trace an arch on each of the flaps. You or children can then use a ruler to add triangular teeth to the arch that are about an inch and half long.

Next, you will cut out the teeth that you have drawn on both flaps.

Finally, you will count the number of tooth slots you have cut out. You will need to cut out enough diamond shaped cardboard pieces to fill each of the tooth slots.

Making the Eyes

You will need to trace two large ovals and two medium sized circles onto some of the cardboard you have cut away. They will be used for the shark’s eyes.

Making the Shark’s Fin

Now it is time to make the shark fin for the top of the shark’s head. You will start by tracing a half circle on side of the box that will be the top of the shark. The half circle will need to be on the side of the box that remains attached to the box. Then draw a triangle sticking out of the top of the circle. The point should reach up to the open edge of the box.

Then you can cut the edges of the triangle that lead to the point and the rounded part of the half circle.

Painting

You will need to paint the mouth area flaps inside the box and the shark fin area gray.

The shark’s teeth and outer eye ovals need to be painted white. The inner eye circles need to be painted black.

Gluing Time

You will need to glue the shark’s teeth and it eyes in place with strong glue.

Adding Support

You can duct tape a paint stick behind the shark’s fin to help it stand up straight. You can also place a paint sticks behind the shark’s jaws to help the jaw sections stay together and give them support.

Then you will be ready to have your children play with it!

If you like this Shark Week activity, here are some more you are going to love!

STEM Activity-How Do Sharks Float?

Shark Games- Fish Hockey

Paper Plate Shark Mask

Pool Noodle Shark

Build a LEGO Shark

Black Glue Shark Bookmarks

Shark Water Bead Sensory Bin

STEM Shark Activities for Kids – How Do Sharks Float?

July 15, 2017 By Deirdre

Every year I try to come up with a couple activities to do during Shark Week at the end of July. There was a shark hockey game, a paper plate shark mask, and a shark made from a pool noodle! This year I have a shark Nerf target and some STEM shark activities for kids.

STEM Shark Activities for Kids

Fish have a gas-filled swim bladder that keeps them afloat in the water. Sharks stay afloat or stay buoyant due to an oily liver and some fat. The oil in a shark’s liver is lighter than water. It gives a shark some buoyancy. The oil is still heavier than water and if the shark doesn’t keep moving it will sink. will sink.

Getting Ready

Making the Sharks

Before you can start the shark activities for kids, you will need to cut two sharks out of a plastic blue file folder. You will need to find a shark online or in a book. Then we traced it onto the front of the file folder. Finally, we cut shark traced onto the folder out while holding the back of the folder to the front of the folder. That allowed us to cut out two sharks at the same time.

Gather Materials

Now that you have the sharks ready you will need to gather a few more materials.

You will need:

Two Strong Ziplock Plastic Bags
Vegetable Oil
Water
Large Plastic Tub or Box

Filling the Bags and the Tub

You will need to fill the tub almost up to the top with water. Don’t feel it all the way the top! When you children place their hands in the tub, they will displace some of the water! It may then spill out of the tub!

One of the plastic bags will need to be filled about 2/3 of the way with water. The other bag needs to be filled 2/3 of the way with vegetable.

Then you will need to place a shark into each of the bags. If you want to place duct tape over the top of the bag to keep the liquids in you totally can.

Activity One – Adding the Bags Vertically

Have your children place each of the bags into the water vertically. Watch what happens to the bags. The bag with the oil will probably flip on its side. The bag with the water in it will probably sink down a little.

Activity Two – Adding the Bag Horizontally

Have your children place each of the bags into the water horizontally. They may find that both of the bags float at first. The bag with the water in it may sink a little after a short time.

Activity Three – Pushing Down the Bags

Children will place both of the bags in the plastic tub or box horizontally. Then they will place on hand on each bag and try to push it down.

If you like this activity, here are some more shark activities you will love.

How to Draw a Shark with an Algorithm

How to Make a Pool Noodle Shark

Pool Noodle Shark with Rubberband Launcher

If you try these activities, please share a picture with me on Facebook.

Shark Games for Kids – File Folder Fish Hockey

June 27, 2016 By Deirdre

Shark games for kids are fun to play during Shark Week, as part of an ocean unit or just for fun! I made a shark game space that can be used for playing two different versions of fish hockey. Before playing our shark games for kids, you may want to create our pool noodle shark or make a Safari Ltd Coral Reef TOOBas our fish pucks. Let me walk you through how to create the shark games for kids game space and then how to play each of the shark games for kids.

Shark Game Space Construction

Links below are affiliate links

Supplies

Flexible Plastic Cutting Board Mats
Under Bed Storage Box
File Folder (2)
Blue Construction Paper
White Construction Paper
Wiggle Eyes
Scissors
Glue stick
Tropical Fish

Creating the File Folder Sharks

We started by cutting an arch out of a folded piece of blue construction paper. The arch was cut with a pointed top. This gave us two blue arches.

The center area of the arch was traced onto a piece of white construction paper folded in half. After it was cut out, the two small white arches were cut in half. (That gave us four half arches.) Jagged lines were cut along the outside edges of the half arches. The jagged lines represent the teeth.

Four small blue arches were cut out of the scrap paper for the shark’s eyes. Four smaller white arches were cut out of the scraps of white paper. Then the all the shark’s facial elements were glued in place. The teeth were glued inside the blue hallow arches. The white eye sections were glued to blue eye arches. A wiggly eyes were glued onto each of layered eye sections.

Then each shark head with teeth and eye sections were glued onto the back inside section of a file folder.

Shark Games for Kids

After placing a shark head folder near both ends of the under the bed container, place the blue cutting mat on top of them. We had our folders lean back quite a bit so it would be easy for the fish to slide in.

Game One – Taking Turns

One player at a time tries to get their fish into the shark on side opposite to where they are sitting. They can have as many attempts as you decide is necessary to have them feel like they had a chance to successfully feed the shark. Then second player can try to get their fish in the shark opposite to them.

Game Two- Defend Your Shark

One player can try to slide their fish into the shark opposite to where they are sitting. A second player can use a fish of their own or maybe a Popsicle stick to try to keep them from getting the fish into the shark’s mouth. They can take turns trying to feed the shark.

Paper Plate Shark Mask with Mask Template

June 6, 2016 By Deirdre

After taking a break last week to share some LEGO posts with you, I have another ocean themed craft to share with you. This paper plate shark mask would be a fun craft to create during an ocean unit, Shark Week (It is usually celebrated at the end of June or the beginning of July.), or after reading one of the shark themed children’s books listed at the end of this post.

Paper Plate Shark Masks

Supplies:

Paper plates
Yarn
Blue paint
Turquoise paint
Plastic fork

Creating Your Shark Mask

You will need to start by tracing the Paper Plate Shark Pattern onto a paper plate. You can also trace the fin pattern on a second paper plate.

There isn’t a pattern for the teeth. They will be very easy to cut out of the outside edge of the first or second paper plate.

Now that you have all the pieces cut out it is time to paint. We used a mixture of blue and turquoise paints on the fin and the shark’s head with a fork. The front and back of the fork were used to get paint in the plate’s ridges and on its rim.

Once the paint was dry the teeth and fin were glue into place. We used a Elmer’s school glue it.

Adding a Way to Wear This Paper Plate Shark

You will notice I haven’t shown you a picture displaying how to wear the a mask. There are a variety of way to make your mask wearable.

Here are some I have thought of:

Staple yarn to either side of the paper plate shark
Staple a piece of sentence strip to the paper plate shark that fits around the back of your child’s head.
Attach pipe cleaners to either side of the paper plate mask. Bend the ends down like the stems of a pair of glasses.

It would be fun for kids read or have a book read to them while wearing their paper plate shark mask. Here are a few we have enjoyed:

The links below are affiliate links.

Shark vs. Train
Clark the Shark
Deep-Sea Disaster (Shark School)
Nugget and Fang: Friends Forever Snack Time?
Surprising Sharks: Read and Wonder

Here are some more paper plate ocean themed crafts and another fun shark craft:

Ocean Animals- Paper Plate Craft

Paper Plate Jellyfish

Arts and Crafts for Kids- Pool Noodle Shark

June 30, 2015 By Deirdre

We are still coming up with ways to use sections of a pool noodle we had leftover from making a game called Counting to Ten. Last week I shared with you how we experimented with pool noodle airplanes. This week I have pool noodle shark craft to share. We love doing arts and crafts with leftover or recycled items. This shark qualifies as recycled craft because two recycled items were used to make it. The pool noodle section is one and the egg carton that was used for the teeth is the second.

As you can see in the picture above two pieces of pool noodle were used to build the shark’s body. The smaller piece was cut out of the larger piece by cutting a diagonal wedge out of the larger one with a bread knife. (I did the cutting for this project.) The flat side of the smaller piece was glued to the top of the larger section with an Elmer’s Xtreme glue stick.

Wiggly eyes were glued on either side of the shark’s head with the same glue stick. We glued them right on the seam connecting the top and bottom noodle sections

Then it was time to cut the teeth of the egg carton. We cut out twelve small diamond shapes out of styrofoam egg carton. (If you don’t have styrofoam egg cartons available, you could use craft foam.) Each diamond was cut individually so each tooth would be unique.

To get the teeth to stick into the pool noodle a cupcake topper with a sharp end was used to carve out space for each tooth. (If you don’t have one, you can use a toothpick instead.) We pushed in the cupcake topper and turned it in a circle to make a space large enough for each tooth. A little dab of glue from the glue stick was placed on the end of each tooth as it was planted in the shark’s mouth to hold it in place.

Finally, a fin was cut out of a pool noodle section. One end of two toothpicks was poked into the fin. The other end was pushed in the back of the shark’s head. We could have glued the fin on but decided to make extra sure that the fin would stay in place.
While I was thinking about the end product of this being a craft to display, JDaniel pointed out the this would be a great puppet. Maybe we will have to come up with shark songs or rhymes for the shark to perform.