Whales And Hearts Garland

Whales are among the largest and most captivating mammals on the planet. At the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, we get lots of different kinds of whales! 

We’ve discovered all sorts of fun facts about whales:

• Humpbacked whales can sing and beluga whales can imitate sounds, like a parrot.
• Beluga whales are white as snow, but their babies are grey.
• A blue whale weighs more than 15 elephants together! Baby blue whales grow so fast that in one day, they can put on as much weight as a dad (80 kg/day)!
• The sperm whale can hold its breath underwater for the length of time it takes to watch a full movie.

As heritage presenters, we know kids are whales’ biggest fans. That is why we designed this simple Valentine’s Day whale craft to do with your kids.

This heart shaped whale garland is a perfect way to show your love for whales.

You Will Need:

• white, red or blue paper (8 ½” x 11” minimum)
• whale shaped template printable (PDF)
• pencil
• scissors
• crayons, markers or colouring pencils
• transparent tape (optional)

Instructions:

1. Print and cut out the whale-shaped template (PDF).

2. Lay the whale template along the short edge of a piece of the paper, then trace it with a pencil.     

3. Fold the paper like an accordion, making each fold the same width as the whale template.

4. Carefully cut out the whale, around the curve of its head and the curves of its tale. Be careful to leave the top of its head, its belly and the tips of its tail uncut.

5. Open out your folded whales to form a garland. Can you see the hearts that form?

6. Decorate your whales! Draw their mouths, their eyes and their fins! Have fun!

7. Optional: If you'd like your garland to be longer, repeat on more pieces of paper and use a piece of tape to join the garlands together.

If you have colouring experts at home, another fun thing to do is to download the Whales and Seals of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park ID sheet (PDF).

Have your children choose their favorite whale, then draw and colour it. 

We hope you enjoy this Club Parka activity together and that it makes you want to discover more about the fascinating marine world! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sonia Normandin and Valerie Busque are heritage presenters at Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park.