Hammerhead Shark Craft

It’s almost Shark Week! During shark week, or any time you want to engage your kids in learning with a shark theme, you can make this adorable hammerhead shark craft and enjoy our fun shark theme unit.

When we lived in California, we went each year to the homeschool days at the aquarium, where my kids were allowed to “pet” the sharks, and engage in lots of hands-on learning activities at the living museum. Some of the kids got super interested in sharks, and shark week is a great time to capitalize on that for some summer learning in the off-season. Not that I want to go scuba diving with hammerhead sharks or anything – but did you know that was even a thing? You can even adopt a hammerhead shark these days, and help keep this endangered species around.

Whether you are studying sharks with your kids or just want a fun, quick way to celebrate Shark Week in between Discovery Channel documentaries, you and your kids are going to love this adorable hammerhead shark craft.

Our hammerhead shark craft is made with the provided template and paper weaving. The result is a friendly shark, ready to decorate your child’s bedroom door, the refrigerator, or the classroom while you read and enjoy books and activities about sharks together.

To complete the Hammerhead Shark Craft, you will need the following supplies: Our printable template, construction paper or cardstock in three shades of gray, plus white and black, glue stick, scissors, and markers in black and red. Once you have all of these supplies gathered, just follow our instructions to make this awesome shark!

Did you know this about Hammerhead Sharks?

The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that form the family Sphyrnidae, so named for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a “hammer” shape called a cephalofoil. Most hammerhead species are placed in the genus Sphyrna, while the winghead shark is placed in its own genus, Eusphyra. (wikipedia)

Cut out the template following the outside lines.
Use this template to cut out the darkest grey color you have.
Cut out the template following the next set of lines towards the inside, and use this “inner” template to cut out your lightest shade of grey.
Use the circle on the template to cut out the eyes in white, and then make smaller circles in black.
Cut the medium grey shade into strips about 1/2 thick.
Cut the light grey portion starting about 1/2 inch from the edge and going up to the neck area, with vertical cuts, being careful not to breach the edge.
Carefully weave the dark grey strips over and under the light grey strips, alternating patterns each time to form a weave.
Add the nose and mouth with markers.
Add tiny triangles of white construction paper for teeth if you wish.
Glue everything together.