Crafts with Fifi: NZ’s Great White Sharks


Never be stuck for something to do! Keep your hands and brain busy with glue, tape and scissors – and have crafty fun with Fifi!

Would you put your finger in the mouth of a shark? No? Well, here’s a safe way to have some fun while you learn about New Zealand’s Great White Sharks!

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You will need:

  • An egg carton
  • Scissors – small nail scissors are going to be very useful for this craft!
  • Red, black and white paint
  • Paint brushes – a fine one will help for the details
  • Glue – craft glue or a hot glue gun
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1. Cutting Guide

Cut these pieces out of the egg carton. The large pointy bit is the head, the small one is the nose and you’ll need three fins – a dorsal fin and two side ones.

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Tip: Mark out the pieces you are going to cut with a pen or pencil. Draw them bigger – you can always cut them down to size!

2. Pieces

With nail scissors, cut out the mouth. Some egg cartons have holes in the top of the pointy bits. If so, pinch the nose in a little and glue it together. Cut slits in the sides of the head piece and the back of it.

3. Assemble

Push the fins into the slits you made – the dorsal fin on the back and the pelvic fins in the sides. Secure them with a blob of glue. Push the nose tip firmly into the head.

4. Paint

Paint your shark. Dark grey on the top; white belly and teeth. Don’t forget the red mouth! Let it dry really, really well before you cut jagged teeth with the nail scissors. A hairdryer will speed up the drying.

5. Go hunting!

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Find out more about New Zealand’s Great White Sharks by Alison Ballance here.

Download the PDF for this craft to take home here.

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Fifi Colston

Fifi Colston is a freelancer with fingers in many creative pies. She is a published junior fiction novelist, children’s book illustrator of more than 50 titles, poet and a long-standing television presenter of arts and crafts on firstly TVNZ’s WhatNowand then TheGoodMorningShow. Fifi is a veteran of Wearable Arts; a finalist and award winner over 26 years with 26 entries in show. She also works in the New Zealand film industry as a costumier, puppet maker and illustrator.

When she has a moment, Fifi visits schools and community groups, inspires budding artists and writers and runs workshops in creative process. You can find her at fificolston.com.