Family Fun

Science can be fun for families too! Taking science home and learning it together can be great fun for all and rewarding for parents. What can be better than learning together? Here is an activity that you can do as a family right in your own home. Even better, the material listed can be found in your own kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Take time to gather the materials then gather your family together to make science fun!

Hide a Fish!

Materials:

50 peanuts in a shell (you may use neutral-colored small rocks or pebbles)
20 cotton balls
2 glue sticks
1 roll of string or twine
1 roll of tape (any kind)
4 markers (preferably brown and green)
20 fresh and dry leaves
40 blades of grass
1 cup dirt
1 cup sand
1 newspaper

Description:

Clear a large space such as a dining room table or a den floor. Cover the area with newspaper. If you are using the floor, use a space that averages the size of a dining room or large kitchen table. Use the peanuts to make your fish. Make a hiding place for your fish in your make believe estuary using some of the materials listed above. Ask somebody in the group if they can find your fish. If they can not find it, then you did a great job!

Wrap-up:

Why is it important for the fish to hide in the seagrasses or tree roots in a salt marsh or bay? Most fishes hide from other animals, because larger fishes or birds may eat them. Some fish such as the seahorse use the tail to grasp the underwater turtle grass and hide from larger predators. Many immature fishes live in an estuary, because it offers a wonderful refuge from the larger open and more dangerous ocean. An estuary is full of seagrasses and is a rich source of nutrients or food for growing fish. However, if the fish is going to grow to live in the open ocean it needs to hide or camouflage itself against predators. When the fish is the same color as the habitat, it can then blend very nicely into the background. If the estuary floor is grayish-brown then the fish can be striped or spotted with gray or brown colors. Why? To hide! So make sure to hide your fish well, you would not want something to eat it!

Artwork courtesy of Chilcoat Studios.