Fig.150 - The Lima Bean Man will stand.
Choose a good, firm bean-pod, one as flat and even as you can find, open it carefully along the straight edge and take out the beans. Save the beans, for you can make something of them too. Do not let the pod close again after the beans are out. It must be open about half an inch, or maybe a little more, at the middle. You can widen the opening by pushing your finger in. Be careful not to split it along the upper edge. It should be like [Fig. 147], which shows the opening at the bottom.
With the small blade of a pocket-knife make a slit on each side of the pod at the large end where it is marked C in [Fig. 147].
These slits are to hold the fins. Directly on the curved edge of the small end of the pod, at the place marked D, cut another short slit. Don't let it reach the lower edge. This is to hold the tail.
From writing-paper, not the very heavy kind, cut two fins like [Fig. 148]. Double the paper and cut out both at once so that they may be exactly alike. From the same kind of paper cut the tail like [Fig. 149]. All you have to do now is to push the sharp point of one paper fin into the slit on one side of the pod, the other fin into the slit on the other side of the pod, and the sharp point of the tail into the slit in the edge of the pod, and there is your fish. You see the fins and tail are not pasted on and they really seem a living part of the fish. Notice that the top of fins and tail are different from the bottom, and be sure to have the top edge up when you put them in the slits.
Fig.151 - Parts of Lima Bean Man
The way to make the lima-bean fish swim is to place it, open edge down, in a large basin of water; then with a stick or spoon begin at the centre to stir the water gently and gradually round and round until it all moves faster and faster, and keeps on moving after you stop stirring. Then your little green fish will swim. Round and round the basin he will go, his tail waving and his fins moving so naturally you will shout with delight.