Beyond Storytime: October 2nd

Beyond Storytime is back! Join us for Virtual Storytime every Friday morning and then have some fun with the accompanying crafts or activities in our Beyond Storytime blog post. This week’s theme is Fall Critters!

Activity: Fall Critter Shape Art

Using materials (mostly) found around the house, create some of your favorite fall critters!

Fall Animal Ideas:

Fox
Raccoon
Squirrel
Bear
Owl
Turkey
Hedgehog

Materials:

Recycled Cardboard (cereal box, cracker box etc.) or cardstock
Items to paint/decorate with such as:
- Sponges
- Q-tips
- Yarn
- Bubble Wrap
Glue
Black Construction Paper
Felt Pens (optional)
Assorted Construction Paper (optional)
Googly eyes (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut your cardboard into assorted shapes to fit the animals of choice. For instance:

Triangles for Foxes, Deer, Raccoons, Hedgehogs;

Circles for Bears, Owls;

Ovals for Moose, Owls etc…

Step 2: Using your assorted painting materials, have the kids paint their cardboard shapes to suit which animal they are creating. This part is all about the process, the goal is to have the kids play with the “paintbrush” textures.

Examples:

Squish the sponge into the paint then dab it onto the cardboard.
Slather some paint onto bubble wrap then have the kids press their cardboard over the painted bubbles to experience the pop and pressure.
Dab the cardboard with Q-tips or cotton swabs for another fun painting experience.
To decorate with yarn; cut a long strand of yarn about 2 feet in length, dip the yarn into a pool of glue. Removed the yarn and slowly wrap it around your cardboard piece.

Step 3: After the paint dries, have the kids assemble their fall animals out of their painted shapes. Create eyes, mouth, nose, ears and tails all using various shapes. If needed, incorporate some construction paper shapes to create depth and texture to your crafts.