Create a Stop Motion Video - A fish eating another fish

What can we use if we don't have colored paper or modeling clay?

If you don't have colored paper or modeling clay, cut fish shapes from an old cereal box or magazine and color them with markers or shape aluminum foil into fish, then follow the same steps of placing them on the taped background and moving the big fish closer.

My stop-motion video is jumpy—what likely went wrong and how can we fix it?

If the video is jumpy, make sure the camera is set on a stable spot or stand and the background sheet is taped to the table as instructed, and put small bits of double-sided tape or blu-tack under each fish so they don't slide between photos.

How can I adapt the activity for different ages?

For preschoolers have an adult pre-cut big and small colored-paper fish and operate the camera while the child makes larger moves, and for older kids use modeling clay, add fine details with tools, and take many tiny moves per photo for smoother animation in a stop motion app.

How can we make the stop-motion movie more creative or longer?

Personalize and extend the project by taping extra paper scenery like seaweed and rocks to the background, animate fins and bubbles with small paper pieces between frames, record sound effects or narration, then compile the photos in the stop motion app and share the finished movie on DIY.org.