It’s messy, it’s fun, it’s intriguing, and it’s so incredibly interesting to explore and discover. Although we’re finishing up our Paths of Explorationcurriculum, we decided to delve into the deep ocean and learn more about underwater habitats. So, you can imagine how excited we were to discover Lil’ Fishys! If you haven’t heard about them, hold on to your habitat plans, because these are a must-add!
Swimming Fish Toys for the Win
Let’s talk about the basics first, shall we? Lil’ Fishys are battery-operated, motorized swimming fish toys that can be used in the bathtub, the swimming pool, or in the Lil’ Fishys habitat (aka fish bowl). There are “fishys” and “sharkys” and even an Orca whale! Some of the toys have adjustable tails so that they can swim in different directions and some of them even spout water. They’re seriously fun!
Keep in mind that you’ll need AAA batteries for them, so make sure you have those on hand. You can actually twist apart the fishy to install the batteries, but you will need a teeny tiny screwdriver. I tend to get slightly concerned about electric toys in the tub and pool, but these little guys close up tight and the batteries are super secure.
Once you get the batteries in, twist the pieces back together and put them in the water for kid-squealing fun! Take a look at our fishys and what happened when we put the water spouting Orca in the habitat (without knowing just how high the water would shoot!):
SWIM TOYS
The fishys do come with a warning that if you have long hair, you either don’t want to swim with them or you need to make sure your hair is protected. I’d actually recommend wearing a swimming cap if your child has long hair, because these little guys zip around so quickly that the propellers could quickly and easily become tangled in long locks. Although we don’t have our pool set up for the summer, I anticipate that we’ll be swimming with the fishys once we do! My daughter will definitely be sporting one of these though, so that they don’t become tangled in her long hair.
In fact, if you intend to use them in the bathtub, you’d also want to make sure long hair is covered and up high, so that you’re not cutting a swimming fish toy out of your child’s hair at 7:30 in the evening.
SUMMER HOMESCHOOL HABITAT LESSONS
Although we started exploring underwater habitats before summer, the Lil’ Fishys make perfect learning summer toys! Research and discover what each fish, shark, or whale would eat in the wild and what it gets fed in captivity. If you live near an aquarium, go visit and learn more about the underwater world. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can incorporate learning all year long and this summer is perfect for some underwater investigation! The Lil’ Fishys website even has some fun coloring pages that you can include in your studies.
One of the reasons why I love the Lil’ Fishys so much is that they introduced our underwater habitat unit with such ease. Sometimes it can be challenging to get kids interested in a new topic of study, but these adorable swimming toys made it super easy. Once the kids played with them, they naturally wanted to learn more about the different types of fish and where they lived, what they ate, etc. Their natural curiosity was piqued and I couldn’t have been more thrilled (and grateful!).
SWIMMING FISH TOY GIVEAWAY
You can have the opportunity to enter and win one of three Lil’ Fishy Aquariums and a Grab Bag of Fishys! Your kids will love them! Simply enter by using the form below:
You can also follow Lil’ Fishys on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more underwater habitat inspiration! Be sure to join us for the Lil’ Fishys Instagram Challenge from May 16th-May 27th
and the Summer Fun Twitter party on Thursday, May 26th at 9pm EST!
I can’t wait to see you there!