Handprint Brown Bear Craft

Incorporate brown bears into art activities using only hands.

Pictures of browns bear made with hand prints and paint are a fun decorative classroom craft or take-home project, and can be adapted for such uses as hand-decorated gift wrap or gift bags. Students will use their hand prints to build the image of the animal -- as each hand print is added, the bear starts to come to life. The finished product is an adorable brown bear with eyes, feet and tail.

Necessary Materials

You will need construction paper, brown poster paint, a bowl, plastic "googly" eyes and a red marker. A paint brush is optional for this craft. Be sure young children roll up long sleeves and use paint smocks. The whole craft will need to be constructed and dried on a flat surface to avoid leaks or drips.

Hand Positioning

The first hand print will be an open, flat palm with fingers extended. The second hand print will lie next to the first, with palms touching and fingers overlapping. When these two hand prints are finished, the whole paper will be flipped upside down, and the fingers will become bear legs. Use the palm only above and to the left of the left side of the legs and body to make a palm print head. Thumb prints create ears on either side of the head. Let the hand prints dry. and then add the googly eyes.

Methods of Making Handprints

Hand prints are often made by placing the hand into paint and then pressing down onto the paper. The student lifts the hand straight up to reveal a hand print. This method, however, leaves globs of paint which will need extra drying time. If the drying time needs to be reduced, use a paintbrush to paint the palm and fingers with brown paint. This way, there will be fewer globs, and drying time is cut dramatically.

Finishing the Bear

Use extra material for optional finishing touches for the bear. Trace the outline of the bear with a black marker. Add a red nose with a marker or button. Add a piece of brown cotton on the back to make a bear tail. Add felt strips to the body to make a soft piece of art. Draw grass under the bear, and include a river, indicating the source for one of the bear's favorite foods -- fish. Additions to the bear depend only on time constraints and the imaginations of your students.

References

• Activity Village: Handprint Reindeer