Maker Monday: Backyard Noodle Fishing

Rain or shine, this STEAM project will offer hours of fun in hands-on Maker Monday creating and followup playtime. Kids can use their creativity in crafting fish from pool noodles before heading to the backyard pool for an afternoon of sport fishing.

Backyard Noodle Fishing would be a cool group activity for a picnic or just a little sibling competition. Best of all, there are no sharp hooks!

Supplies:

Foam pool noodles

Knife or scissors

Glue gun

String

Stick

Magnetic jewelry clasps

Paper clips

Wading pool, plastic bin — or bathtub!

Optional: Google eyes, foam sheets, foam stickers, pipe cleaners

Use sharp scissors or a knife to cut pieces of a foam noodle into usable pieces. We cut some into half-logs and sliced others into circles.

Decorate like crazy to create your fish in many species. We used pieces of pipe cleaners to make lips and fins, poking the pointy ends into the foam. We used a glue gun to attach google eyes and foam sheet fins. Other fish came to life with foam stickers. Make a small slit for the paper clip and push the clip down into the foam. We added a dob of hot glue to keep the paper clip from pulling out during fishing.

Clip a magnetic jewelry clasp onto each paper clip.

Cut a length of string and tie onto the end of a stick to make your fishing pole. Tie a magnetic clasp to the other end of the stick.

Float your fish in the wading pool. (Aren’t they pretty?)

Use the fishing pole’s clasp as a lure. Once the magnets make a connection, kids will be able to pull a fish from the water. How fun is that?

For more Maker Monday projects and other fun stuff for kids, visit the Kidsburgh Activities page.