The Shoe Box Aquarium

The first time I came across a shoe box aquarium was many years ago, when I made one myself with the help of my nursery school teacher. I still remember how proud I was in my 5-year-old self to have made something that looked so ‘real’. 

Although the piece in question is no longer in existence, it stuck in my memory ever since, and when our children were little, we made our own – see photograph. This one also dates back quite some time now (9 or 10 years) and is one of the many art & craft treasures we keep in our attic.

The shoe box aquarium is an exciting activity which can be completed over a few days. It involves a variety of skills and is a great way of introducing slightly bigger art projects, as it takes several steps to complete it.

What you need:

box (with lid - optional)

poster paints/brushes

jar with water and an old piece of cloth for rinsing/cleaning brushes

card (white or coloured)

colour pencils, felt tips or water colours and fine brush

glue 

tape

for grown-up use: scissors, needle, thread

Just a quick note with regard to health and safety: The craft activities in our blog involve a wide range of materials and tools, some of which may, depending on a child’s age and ability, represent a hazard to them (sharp items, small parts etc.) We therefore ask you to make sure you closely supervise your child(ren) during all art & craft activities, and assist them with tasks they are not yet ready to do by themselves. You know your child(ren) best, and we ask all parents and carers to assess what is and what is not suitable for their child(ren) prior to starting any art & craft activities.

How to make it:

First decide on a background and paint it onto the inside of your box – this could be various hues of blue for the back, top and sides of your box, and you could paint the bottom of the box to make it look like sand, rocks or a coral reef.

Then draw bits of underwater landscape onto card – such as rocks, corals, sea weed, a ship wreck etc. Colour each part and cut it out, leaving one or two flaps at the bottom (and side). Bend the flaps backwards, apply glue to them and stick them to the bottom (and side) of the box.  Do this with all your underwater landscape items. Instead of flaps, you could simply use tape – just make sure it is hidden behind the objects and not visible from the front.

Make sure the paint is completely dry before sticking anything into the box.

Next, make the fish and other animals you would like to have in your aquarium. Draw the shape of a fish on card, colour it in, then cut it out and colour in the reverse side.

Using needle and thread, attach each fish shape onto a thread, and the threads through the top of the box, so that each fish dangles freely (=swims) inside the ‘aquarium’. Secure the threads with glue or tape on the outside of the box.

You can also paint and decorate the outside of the box and the lid (if you have one).

Display the finished aquarium in your house for everyone to see. Why not make another one as a (Christmas) present for a relative…