Shell Market Day With Ariel and Her Friends

A smiling mermaid with long, flowing hair leans forward and gently lowers a closed clam shell with a bow-like ruffle onto a stone ledge. Several more shells with ribbed edges and leafy tops sit stacked on the ledge, a bit like a little underwater market stall. A small fish with a rounded face swims in the upper right, and a second fish with a bow on its head floats near the bottom left. Bubbles of different sizes drift around the whole scene. The mermaid wears a shell-style top and a long tail with striped fins. Try coloring the tail in a smooth blend of greens and blues, then give each shell a different soft shade so kids can tell them apart. You could also count the bubbles and the shells together as a quick counting game. It prints easily on regular paper.