J is for Jellyfish

 Here is an easy and fun jellyfish craft to make. The only tricky part about this is that you have to use acrylic paint instead of washable paint. When I figured this out, I debated whether I wanted to even do it or not. Non-washable paint with preschoolers, I don't know about that. As you can see I decided to do it anyway. We did the painting in small groups and I watched them very carefully so we didn't have any accidents. I loved how they turned out and it was fun to see the kids play with them when we were all done.

Hey, bonus points to anyone who can tell me what the long hanging things on the jellyfish are called.

Here's What You Need:

• small, plastic fruit or applesauce cups
• blue curling ribbon
• blue rick-rack ribbon
• clear tape & masking tape
• yarn & needle
• blue acrylic paint
• sharp nail & hammer

Here's What You Do:

1. Paint the plastic cups on the outside with the acrylic paint. (Washable doesn't work on the plastic surface.)
2. While it is drying, work on the tentacles? (I don't know what they're called.) Measure around the inside of your cup and cut a piece of clear tape a little bigger than that length. Put the piece of tape sticky side up on your work surface. Hold the tape down with masking tape. Put your ribbons in a pattern along the tape. 
3. (Now here is where you realize what a nut I am when it comes to making things just the way I want it. I actually used a straightening iron, you know the kind you use for your hair, to make the ribbons less curly.) 
4.  Peel the masking tape off of the ends of the tape. Pick up the whole strip of tape and ribbon together. Tape the ribbons into the inside of your painted cup. You kind of have to bend it a little to work it around in a circle, but just make sure to really press down hard to stick the tape to the plastic.
5. Use the nail and hammer to poke a hole in the top of the cup.
6. Thread your needle with the yarn and poke it through the cup. Tie a knot on both ends to hang up your jellyfish.