Appropriate age group(s):
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School

Time needed:
Weekend

Description:
Children of all ages are fascinated by sea life. This colorful room brings the sea into the bedroom and delights the imagination! With netting around the windows and fish swimming all over the walls, even you will forget youÆre not really under water!

Materials:
Star-fish bean bag (pottery barn kids)

Fish themed bedding of your choice (and there is lots out there to choose from!)

Three shades of flat aqua latex paint to coordinate with bedding

Paint roller

Paint tray

Masking tape

Plastic tarp

2? paint brush

Fish border (choose one with colorful cartoon type fish and sea life)

Scissors

6 yards of white toile per window (use plain netting for boy? room)

White cup hooks

Sea green raffia

Plastic fish, star-fish and shells (If your child is under 3, do not use anything smaller than the palm of your hand.)

Bright paper

Hole punch

Fishing wire

Clear contact paper

Magic markers

Instructions:
1. Take all furniture out of the room or move it to the middle of the room and cover with plastic.

2. Wash the walls with mild soap and warm water.

3. With a pencil, draw two wavy lines around the room, one 2/3 up the wall and the other 1/3 up the wall.

4. Tape around floor and ceiling moldings, as well as door and window facings with masking tape.

5. Lay out plastic tarps and secure.

6. You are now ready to tackle the painting! You will start with the lightest shade of paint and use your 2? brush to cut in around the ceiling and along the top wavy line that you drew earlier. Use your paint roller to fill in that top space.

7. Next, you will use the medium shade of paint for the middle section of the walls. Follow the same technique, cutting in with the 2? brush and filling in with the roller.

8. Finally, you will use the darkest shade of paint on the bottom third of the walls.

9. After paint has dried, apply a second coat if needed.

10. Now you need your scissors and wallpaper border. Cut out all the fish, star-fish, bubbles and whatever else you want on the walls.

11. Dip fish one by one into water and press onto the wall in a scattered pattern. (Shells and star-fish should go in the bottom painted section.)

12. Screw cup hooks into wall above top corners of each window.

13. Drape toile around window so it pools on the floor on each side. Bunch it up around each cup hook and tie with green seaweed (oops...raffia!).

14. Use fishing wire to tie plastic sea critters all over the netting.

15. Now, use your magic markers to draw a very basic outline of fish on various pieces of brightly colored paper. Give each one an eye on each side and some gills or fins. Cut them out.

16. Sandwich each paper fish between two pieces of clear contact paper and press out all the bubbles.

17. Use the hole punch to make holes in the top of each fish and hang from the ceiling with fishing wire. Allow fish to hang at varying heights and make sure not to get them too close to the ceiling fan.

18. Return the furniture to the room and make the bed with the fish bedding.

19. Put the star-fish bean bag in a corner.

20. If your child is old enough to care for an aquarium, it certainly would be a wonderful addition to the room!