How to Make Curly Leaf Pondweed Out of Green Pool Noodles - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

You might be preparing set pieces for a musical such as The Pirates of Penzance. In this case, you may want some plants for the water. One of these plants is curly leaf pondweed.

A picture of Vesuvius Sword from Arizona Acquatic Gardens

This plant is often mistaken as a type of coral, especially in set pieces. The official name for curly leaf pondweed is Vesuvius Sword. Set pieces made to look like this plant can be made by using green pool noodles.

This is a fairly easy craft if you don't have trouble cutting pool noodles. You only need the following items:

1. Green pool noodles such as Noodle Builder 10 Pack of 24 Inch Lime Green Pool Noodles
2. Heavy duty scissors that can cut through pool noodle foam such as Wiss W20 10-3/8-Inch Inlaid Heavy Duty Industrial Shears.

Here are the instructions to make one piece of curly leaf pondweed or Vesuvius Sword. If you need more than one piece, repeat with the remaining pool noodles.

1. Cut the pool noodle at the length you want the pondweed.
2. Starting from one of the ends where the hole is in the pool noodle, cut in a downward spiral motion. You can decide if you want to cut all the way through the bottom and somehow prop it up or leave part of the bottom closed and prop it up with it closed.
3. After you are through cutting, you may want to shape it more with your hands.

You should now have a set piece that looks like curly leaf pondweed. All you will need to do now is figure out how you want to place it on the stage and how you would like to hold it up on stage.

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