Plaster Forever Fish for Kids
No one will question your bragging if you make a plaster forever fish for kids, preserving your prize fish forever.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Make a plaster forever fish. |
What You'll Need:
- Fish
- Modeling clay
- Plaster of Paris
- Mixing container for plaster
- Spoon
- Acrylic paints
- Paintbrush
- Spray acrylic
- Adult help
- Hot glue or cement (optional)
You may catch a fish so big that you'd love to see it preserved and mounted on the wall so you can show it off to your friends. With some plaster and clay, you can!
Step 1: Clean your fish and leave the head on. Lay it out flat in a pan. Set it in a freezer overnight and let it freeze. The next day, remove the fish from the freezer.
Step 2: Roll out a slab of modeling clay a little bigger and a little thicker than your fish. Press the fish firmly into the clay. Gently pull it out and see if you like the mold you've made. If there are air bubbles or imperfections, knead the clay, roll it out, and try again.
Step 3: When you've got a mold you like, put the fish back in the freezer. Mix some plaster in a container until it is about as thick as heavy cream. Pour the plaster slowly into the mold. Try to avoid making air bubbles.
Step 4: Let the plaster dry several hours, then remove it from the mold. Let the plaster dry completely overnight before attempting to remove any clinging bits of modeling clay.
Step 5: Once your plaster fish dries, decorate it with acrylic paints. Use the frozen fish as a color model to ensure that your plaster fish looks as real as possible.
Step 6: After the paint dries, spray it with clear acrylic coating.
Step 7: If you like, use hot glue (with adult help) or contact cement to mount your plaster fish to a wall plaque.
On the next page, you will learn how to use dried flowers and beveled glass to make a stained glass ornament.
For more ideas on nature-related crafts and activities to do with kids, see:
