Mermaid in a Coral Reef Coloring Page

There is something to find in every corner of this mermaid in a coral reef coloring page. A mermaid with long dark hair and a flower behind her ear swims right across the page, one arm stretched out in front of her. Below her, a crowded reef spreads from edge to edge. A sea turtle glides overhead, a jellyfish drifts near her tail, and a small school of fish flashes past.

This is a detailed page for kids from about 8, teens and grown ups. Plan on about an hour. It makes a calm project for a rainy day, and it can be finished in stages.

What lives on this reef

Read the reef from back to front. Tall kelp stands at both sides, and a seahorse hangs on to the plant at the right. Two wide fan corals open up behind everything else. In front of those grow three branching corals, one large and two small. Lower still, you will find a pair of brain corals with winding grooves, a bunch of hollow tube sponges and a soft anemone that sways in the current.

Clownfish hide among the branches near the anemone. Count seven tiny fish in the school above the reef, plus two larger fish on the left. A starfish and a little shell sit in the sand at the very bottom.

Mermaid in a coral reef coloring page color ideas

Real reefs are full of color, so this is the place to use the whole box. Keep one rule in mind, though: put a bright color next to a calm one. If every coral is loud, nothing stands out.

• Fan corals in purple and pink
• Branching corals in red, orange and yellow
• Sponges in yellow with dark centers
• Brain corals in orange and lime green
• Clownfish in orange with white bands

Her tail is the hero. We used red and orange scales, since warm colors jump forward against blue water. Keep the rock behind the reef a plain soft gray. It gives your eyes a place to rest.

How to tackle a busy page

Color the water last. Once the reef is done, you can see which blue suits it best. Use light, even strokes and turn the page as you go, so your hand stays out of the way.

Work from the top of the page down. Do the mermaid first, as she is the part you care about most, then the turtle and the fish. Keep a sheet of scrap paper under your hand to stop smudges.

Try shading each brain coral groove with a darker line. It takes a minute and it makes the dome look round.

Corals are animals

Corals may look like plants or rocks, but NOAA explains that they are animals. Most coral is built from hundreds or thousands of tiny creatures called polyps. Each polyp has a soft body and makes a hard limestone skeleton below it. Corals catch food from the water with small, tentacle like arms, and tiny algae living inside them help feed them too. Coral reefs are the largest structures on Earth made by living things.

Ideas for class or home

Turn the page into a nature count. Make a chart with columns for corals, fish and other animals, then tally them all up. Check your numbers against a friend's.

Older students can pick one reef animal and research it. Have them write three facts on the back of the page, then share them with the class. It makes a nice display for a science wall.

More from under the waves

For a closer look at one reef animal, print the sea turtle coloring page. The ocean mandala coloring page offers the same sea life in a neat circular pattern.

Questions