Pet Jellyfish

A few days ago we decided to make a "pet jellyfish". I'd seen in (where else?) on Pintrest! Short and sweet craft activity great for a 3 year old, looked easy enough, and required minimal supplies. 

Here is how it unfolded:

Supplies:

2 liter bottle

plastic lunch baggie

thread

scissors

food coloring

Step 1: using a plastic sandwich baggie fill one corner with 1/2 air 1/2 water and tie tightly with string. This 1/2 and 1/2 air water mixture is what is supposed to keep the jellyfish floating in the center of the bottle 

Step 2: Cut bag to desired length.

Step 3: "Shred" the bag with scissors to make the tentacles of the jellyfish.

Step 4: Shove the jellyfish into the bottle.

Step 5:

Add ONE drop of blue food coloring to (or any color your child would like).

Step 6: Fill with water and seal securely.

Step 7: Watch your jellyfish bob up and down and stare for hours mesmerized by its likeness to the real thing. 

OK, OK. I confess. The above picture is not mine! Unfortunately this would be a fail on my end. Our jellyfish moved right up to the top of the bottle and didn't bob in the middle at all.

The real results. 

I don't know if the air/water mixture was wrong or I didn't tie it tight enough. Or maybe this is one of those ideas that looks cool on the internet but never really works in real life. 

What kind of stories do you have about crafts that didn't quite work out?