5 fun ideas for the kids during Shark Week

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Shark Week is back! The annual week-long program begins on Sunday on the Discovery Channel. If you have tykes fascinated by these sea creatures, try out these “fintastic” activities.

1 Find out what kind of shark you are

Those finny folks over at Shedd Aquarium have a fun quiz to help you find out if you are a bottom feeder (like one of our editors) or one of the cooler dudes in the sea.

They’ll be doing daily chats all week at the Wild Reef, which features 11 species of shark. Think you and the kids can spot them all? If you want to really get up close and personal with the sharks, sign up for Shedd’s Shark Feeding Tour. During the 60-minute tour, you’ll see what’s on the menu for the sharks and follow staff as they feed the sharks.

2 Shark Bait Popcorn

Chomp away at this yummy treat! Shark Bait popcorn from Jennifer at Not Your Momma’s Cookie is the perfect snack to eat while watching the sharks swim across your television screen.

Ingredients

• 6-8 cups of popped popcorn
• ¾ cup of white chocolate chips
• ¾ cups of Swedish fish, cut in half
• ½ cup of Reese’s Pieces

Instructions

1. Spread popcorn on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper.
2. Melt white chocolate chips following the package’s directions and drizzle over popcorn.
3. Sprinkle Reese’s Pieces and Swedish Fish pieces over popcorn.
4. Sit back, relax and chow down!

Have peanut allergies? Substitute the Reese’s Pieces with your kids’ favorite candy! M&Ms and Skittles can make the perfect substitute!

3 Get wicked wet

Coco Key Water Resort in Rockford is a great place to get some water time in on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Be sure to hit the Shark Slam water slide, which swoops in and out of the building. Don’t worry, though, we promise there won’t be any sharks waiting for a bite at the end of the slippery slide.

4 Own your own shark (sort of).

Get to the Living Sea Aquarium, 811 W. Devon Ave., Park Ridge, and check out one of its shark catfish that looks like a shark, (but they do take some work and a large tank). Or, if you’re lucky, they’ll still have their saltwater Bamboo shark available for sale. They won’t grow as big as Jaws.

5 Make a fun craft

Watch your own shark swim around your homemade ocean with this easy and fun craft from Samantha at Stir the Wonder.

Supplies

• Clear Bottle (such as a water bottle)
• Blue Glitter Glue
• Blue Glitter
• Water
• Gray Foam Shark (or cut out your own from construction paper!)

Directions

1. Squeeze glitter glue into your empty and clean bottle. You can decide how much to use.
2. Add some of the fine, loose blue glitter.
3. Fill the bottle with water and add the shark cutout.
4. Shake the bottle.
5. Watch your shark float around in your glittery ocean!