Here fishy fishy!

My littlest one has been obsessed with the idea of fishing lately.  She is constantly using our iPod charging cable as a fishing pole.  After about a week of this, I started to feel a little guilty for not already making something a little more realistic for her.  {With school starting – yes, I’m a teacher – and an upcoming craft fair, my craftiness has sort of been put on hold.  Instead, I’ve been mass producing interchangeable watch bands, grading papers, and writing lesson plans. :) } 

So, to calm my guilty Mom feeling, I headed to the computer.  Since all of my inspiration has come from Pinterest recently, I began a search for my daughter’s fishing activity.  I stumbled upon this blog which featured a super cute fish printable for busy moms like myself!  Ready to make your own?

Materials Needed:

Fish printable

Paperclips

Paint stick

Fishing line

Magnet

Bead

I started by searched our garage for something resembling a fishing pole.  A couple of used paint sticks immediately caught my eye for the following reasons that other fellow moms will love:

1.  They are lacking the sharp point that a stick comes with.  I don’t know about you, but I am partial to my children having TWO eyes! :)

2.  Since they were already used to stir paint, they are already color coordinated, which means no fighting over which stick belongs to whom.

3.  They are FREE!  Everyone loves a project that involves objects that are just lying around!!

Using a paint stick, I wrapped some of the hubby’s fishing line around the end and tied a secure knot.  Then, leaving myself abut 2 feet of line, I tied the loose end to a square bead.  This bead will be what you hot glue your magnet onto.  This made it really easy and ensured that the magnet and the line were secure.  I didn’t want to lose any fish due to a faulty fishing pole! :)

Now, add paper clips to your fish. 

With the project completed, my little one (and her big brother) can now fish to their heart’s content.  And what’s even better is that it has kept them VERY busy and I’ve been able to get a lot of watches made.  Yeah for busy kid activities!  When my craft fair is over we’re going to try making a fishing game for the tub.  Stay tuned!