Waterbottle Aquariums

Substituting the last week of school is an adventure.  Especially when it is kindergarten!  The teacher's lesson plans indicated that we were to make an aquarium.  I was given toilet paper rolls, aquarium rocks, shells, and some ocean-themed stickers.  Here's what I came up with!

Each student was given a toilet paper roll covered with construction paper (much prettier than brown!).  The students were given the stickers to create an aquarium scene.  We allowed them to choose a max of 10 stickers.


I looked for water bottles with as few ridges as possible.  I found this brand at Vons with the sparkling water.  I recruited my family and a few other teachers to drink the contents (lots of bathroom runs that day).  I washed and dried the bottles and used Goof Off spray to remove the residue from the labels.

Cutting the bottles was easier than I anticipated, I just took the lid off and squeezed the center and cut straight across the top line.

The students put a handful of aquarium rocks in the bottom half of the bottle then placed their toilet paper roll aquarium scene in the center of the bottom half of the bottle.  The students added a few decorative shells.

An adult put the top half back on over the bottom half of the bottom snugly.  Some squeezing in of the sides is necessary.  There is about a two inch overlap of the bottom and top.  We used clear packing tape to keep the top and bottom attached.

The finished project was a hit with the students, the parents, and the teacher I was subbing for.  She asked for a sample so she could make them next year!