Make a brittle star
Have fun making a model of a brittle star and add it to your seabed in a box if you are making one.
Ages 5+
15+ minutes
Part of:
Convex Seascape SurveyEnjoy exploring seabed life by making a brittle star out of plasticine. Brittle stars are related to sea stars. They burrow into the sand and then extend their arms into the water to trap small animals for food.
Activity steps
Step 1
Take a 1 cm ball of modelling clay and squash this into a disc. Then shape it into a pentagon (five-sided) shape.
Step 2
Draw the star shape of the body using a toothpick or modelling tool.
Step 3
Make the five arms using modelling clay (you will need five 1 cm balls), or by cutting five 10 cm long sections of pipe cleaner.
Step 4
If you are using modelling clay for the arms, you can add small ticks using a toothpick or modelling tool to show the pincers and suckers.
Step 5
Attach the arms to each ‘point’ of the body.
Step 6
Decorate the arms with neon paint to show how the brittle star gathers food.
Safety guidance
- Make sure that children wash their hands thoroughly after using the modelling clay and paint.
- Work on a non-stick surface.
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