Jellyfish or Plastic Bag???

To celebrate World Ocean's Day on June 8th we helped kids visiting the Alaska SeaLife Center make Jellyfish in a Bottle! These creations are made out of recycled plastic drink bottles and plastic shopping bags.  

Step 1: Make the Jellies

Cut out a square from a plastic shopping bag, gather the middle up to make the bell of the jelly, and take a small piece of string and tie the bell in place. Then, cut the remaining piece into thin tentacles. And you have your jelly! 

Step 2: Put the Jelly in Your Bottle

Pick out a plastic bottle and place the jelly inside, bell side first. 

Step 3: Just Add Water

Fill the bottle all the way to the top with water. To make it pop, pick out your favorite color of food dye and add a couple drops! Then, securely glue on the cap and you have your jellyfish in a bottle! Flip the bottle upside down and back again to watch your jellyfish swim!

We had a fantastic time making these Jellies!!! It was a great way to recycle plastic bottles and bags and raise awareness of plastic marine debris. Marine debris is any man-made material that makes its way into the oceans. Most marine debris is made up of plastic and can become a life-threatening hazard for wildlife. As you can see, plastic shopping bags can look a great deal like a jellyfish and animals that eat jellies, like the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, often eat plastic bags by mistake and pay the ultimate price for it. You can help by reducing your use of plastic materials: buy products that use limited plastic packaging, or none at all, use reusable shopping bags, and don't forget to recycle.

A shout-out to our wonderful volunteers who helped us collect all our materials and all the kids who came and made this a successful project!