Week six: Make a nature collage animal poster
Kids learn how to protect animals at camp. Show them how to help from home by making a poster that tells others how important these critters are.
Life skill: Environmental stewardship
Step 1: Choose an animal.
—Have your child choose an animal that needs protection, or one they just want other people to know about.
—Have kids research information to put on the poster. For instance:
• The animal’s name
• Fun facts about the animal
• Why the animal needs our help
• What people can do to help
Step 2: Draw the outline.
—Grab a large piece of poster board.
—Have kids draw a simple outline of the animal’s face, using basic shapes. (Be sure to leave room for the name and facts.) For instance:
• Circles or hearts for the head
• Triangles for ears and noses
• Ovals for eyes
• Rectangles for muzzles
—Soften any edges with an eraser. For example, make a giant panda’s chin more rounded by changing the sharp point of a heart shape to a softer curve.
—Lightly shade in areas of color or pattern, like tiger stripes or snake scales.
—Write the name of the animal and the facts on the poster using a marker.
Step 3: Create the mosaic animal.
—Have your child collect nature items from your yard or a park. Think about what could represent the animal’s parts. For instance:
• Eyes: pebbles, bits of colored rock and bark
• Fur: blades of grass, leaves, flower petals, seeds, moss
• Noses and spots: leaves, flowers, moss
• Outlines around mouths, eyes, etc.: seeds, bits of bark, twigs
—Squeeze a small amount of glue on the eyes and nose on the poster, and apply the nature items to each. Let each section dry for a bit, then gently shake off the excess, similar to working with glitter.
—Move on to the mouth, then the rest of the face. Fill in small portions at a time. Use tweezers to help shape or move nature items.
—For overlapping features like fur, start gluing items along the outside edge, then layer inward toward the center of the face. For instance, if you’re creating a tiger’s ruff with yellow flower petals, glue the first petals so they outline the outer edge of the ruff, then work your way in toward the face.
Hang up the poster where others can see it, such as in a front window of your house, or perhaps your local library if it has reopened.
