Paper Plate Starfish
Craft this paper plate starfish as a fun summer activity or make it while learning about ocean life.
Featured Crafts
Supplies Needed
- Paper plate
- Tempera or poster paint
- Paint brush
- Pencil
- Scissors
STEPS
1Mark the position of the arms.
On a paper plate, mark the position of the starfish's arms by drawing lines starting from the center and going out towards the edges of the plate. Most starfishes typically have five arms but some species have more.
2Draw a starfish.
With the position of the arms clearly marked by lines, it is much easier to draw the outline of a starfish.
3Cut out.
Cut out the starfish.
4Paint the starfish.
Paint both sides of the paper plate starfish with tempera or poster paint. Some starfishes come in bright hues of red and orange while some are colored a beautiful blue or purple.
5Paint dots.
Starfishes have dots, spikes and other patterns on their bodies. Before painting them on your starfish, position your starfish upright—the plate's bottom side should be facing up.
Paint dots and other patterns on your starfish. Dots are easy to make using a cotton bud, your fingers or the wooden tip of a paint brush.
6Let the paint dry.
Once done painting all the dots and patterns, your paper plate starfish will look like the real deal!
If you are doing this project as part of a lesson on starfish anatomy, you can paint the underside of your paper plate starfish to show the creature's fascinating tube feet.
More Ideas
Be inspired by a favorite species.
Make your paper plate starfish based on real starfishes you've seen or species that you have read about. This purple and orange starfish is inspired by the vividly colored royal starfish (Astropecten articulatus).
A sea star is another name for a starfish. The blue sea star (Linckia laevigata) is a common species found in the reefs and shallow waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. They're pretty popular in marine aquariums too.
