A simple-to-make Japanese hanging koi (goldfish) made from paper and old magazines. This fish looks beautiful hanging from the ceiling. A classroom full of them is quite impressive!

Estimated Time: 45 minutes
Supplies Needed:
  • Construction paper
  • Old magazines, catalogs, colored paper scraps, and aluminum foil scraps to cut up
  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • Stapler
  • Markers or crayons
  • Hole punch
  • 2 to 3 Crepe paper streamers (a few inches long)
  • Some string or yarn

Instructions

1.

Draw a fish on a large piece of paper. Put a second piece of paper under this piece of paper. Cut out two large, paper fish.

Cutting out the paper fish.
2.

Cut out a lot of scrap paper and/or aluminum foil circles. Use old, colorful magazines, catalogs, etc.

Cut out magazine circles.
3.

Glue the circles onto both sides of the body of the fish. These are the fish’s scales.

The fish isn’t symmetrical, so be sure that you glue circles onto the fish in such a way that when you staple the two sides together later on, the scales will be on the outside.

Attaching the magazine circles to the paper fish.
4.

Decorate the fish’s head, fins, and tail using crayons or markers.

Decorating the koi fish.
5.

Staple the two sides of the fish together, stapling the ends of crepe paper ribbons inside the tail.

Stapling the pieces together.
6.

Punch two holes on the fish’s face. String some yarn through the holes. You now have a hanging koi (a Japanese carp)!

The finished koi craft.