I Am a Rainbow Fish

Activity Overview

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is a story about a fish who desires other fish friends. Throughout the course of the book, he learns that by sharing his special scales, he makes the other fish around him happy. Using this book and its message as our vehicle, students will create their own Rainbow Fish t-shirt over the course of the week. We’ll create scales using materials around the home and learn why the Rainbow Fish gave up all of his scales and how being generous made him feel like the happiest fish in the ocean!

What You Need

• The Rainbow Fish read aloud

• 1-2 blue or white t-shirts

• Pom poms

• Fabric glue

• Child-safe needle and thread (optional)

• Tissue paper

• Felt

• Beads

• Cotton balls

• Glitter

• Paper

• Markers

• Any other material you might have that can be adhered to your t-shirt

Steps

1. Preface the activity with the read aloud of The Rainbow Fish. Use the guiding questions below to emphasize awareness of the character’s actions, and the way generosity is explored in the text.

2. After reading The Rainbow Fish, discuss how and why the Rainbow Fish became happy. Connect the theme of the story (generosity) to the student and ask guiding questions to promote reflection. With the student, create a list of ways we can be generous towards others.

3. The Rainbow Fish learned how to be generous and it made him so much happier even without his beautiful scales! The students will now make their own Rainbow Fish shirt and have the option to create another shirt for a loved one.

4. Lay out one or both shirts on a flat surface, gather materials that will be used as scales and designate each material to the qualities or actions that the student created. Attach the materials using the fabric glue, or if your student has strong fine motor skills and the desire, use a needle and thread to sew the scales onto the shirt.

5. Take as much time as you need to work on the shirts. If you’ve made one for a friend or family member, share it with them and wear the shirts together!

Guiding Questions

• How did Little Blue Fish feel after Rainbow Fish said he would not share his scales?

• Why didn’t any of the fish play with Rainbow Fish?

• Have you ever felt sad like the Rainbow Fish?

• What did Rainbow Fish learn from the Octopus?

• What was happening to the Rainbow Fish after he started to give away his scales? How did he feel?

• How does being generous make others feel?

• How does being generous make you feel?