How to Make a Life-Size Animal
Many children love animals because of their diverse appearances, the variety of sounds they make and the many things that animals can do that humans can't, such as fly or breathe underwater. Encourage your child to learn more about his favorite animals by helping him make life-sized portraits of them. You can then use the portraits to decorate his room. Put land-dwelling animals near the center of his walls, marine animals near the bottom and birds near the top of the wall or on the ceiling. This huge activity could occupy your child for a whole afternoon, though it can be messy and requires some supervision.
Instructions
-
-
1
Research the animal or animals using a hard-copy encyclopedia or Encyclopedia Britannica online. Record on a piece of paper the animal's colors, height and length. Choose animals that are small enough to create easily like most types of lizards, jungle cats, horses and animals in the deer family.
-
2
Lay out pieces of poster board on the floor with the edges against each other. Use a yardstick to measure how much poster board you need for the animal. If you need more than one piece, tape several pieces together with masking tape along the edges and flip the poster board over.
-
-
3
Draw two perpendicular lines, a vertical one marking the animal's height and a horizontal one marking the animal's length. Draw more lines if necessary for long tails and necks. Keep a picture of the animal close by and draw its outline. Let your child draw everything or have her direct you while you draw.
-
4
Help your child draw in the animal's markings by making sure he puts spots and stripes in the right place. Let him draw teeth, discussing the differences between flat and sharp teeth, and eyes, discussing how the animal's eyes are shaped and why they're placed where they are.
-
5
Use paint to fill in the markings. Acrylic, tempera, and finger paints are water-based and easy to clean up. Paint also covers more area faster than crayons. Talk about why the animal is colored the way it is as you paint. Allow the paint to dry, cut out the animal and hang it up with tape or tacks.
-
1
