A cookie tin ocean is a great little activity to make and play with. Reuse material you have to create a new world to discover!

Everything needed I already had on hand:
- 1 cookie tin
- green and blue fabric
- 1 sheet of card stock
- All-purpose glue
- 1 small piece of cardboard
- colored pencils
- length of embroidery floss
- thin gauge wire

Set sail on the good ship DIY and we're off!

Step 1: Cookie Tin Ocean Environment

First off, to make your little ocean scene, you'll need a clean cookie tin and fabric to cover it. I chose blue for the water inside and green for the outside. Any fabric will do. This is a regular cotton blend.

Cut your fabric to size around the cookie tin. Leave enough spare room so that you can comfortably glue the material to the tin. I used an all purpose glue, but make sure the glue you use is suitable for both metal and fabric. The glue seeped through in some spots, but it dried clear.

Glue the outside green fabric first. I did the lid and then the bottom. Tuck the fabric over the lip of the tin.

Then glue the blue water fabric in. I doubled it up and was generous in measuring out the fabric. This gave the tin some nice waves. Fold over the raw edges and glue the edges of the fabric to the sides. Make sure you glue the edges low enough so the lid can still close snuggly, otherwise your ocean critters could escape!

Step 2: Fishing Rod

My what a deep ocean! To see what's in there, you'll need a fishing rod.

I cut mine out of sturdy card stock and cardboard. It's a simple skinny piece, about four inches long- perfect for little hands! Take some embroidery floss, about seven inches long, and wrap it a few times around the end of your fishing rod. Glue in place.

Take a small piece of wire and cut an S-shaped hook. Wrap the other end of the embroidery floss around one of the curves and glue into place.

The fishing hook can't be too sharp or it will scare all the fish away; put a dap of glue at the open end of the hook. All set!

Step 3: Filling the Ocean

I took my sturdy cardstock and drew out some ocean life, including an otter with a shell, a crab, an octopus, a clownfish, and a lucky treasure chest. I brought them to life with colored pencil.

Take the wire again and cut small loops. Glue one loop to each cutout.

Toss your new friends into their ocean habitat.

Step 4: Go Exploring!

The ocean is a wonderful place! Take your fishing rod and see what you can catch.

This ocean is very convenient. It's small enough to be portable, encourages focus and hand-eye coordination, and can always be restocked.

Who can catch something purple? Who can catch something with arms? Dive in!