Seal for a Preschool Zoo Theme

The following lesson is a preschool cut and paste lesson that uses gray tempera paint on a seal. If your children are capable of cutting the shapes themselves it will make it easier for them if you outline the shapes for them.  In this lesson I used a cut up cupcake liner to create the collar and ball. Not only is this lesson great for a preschool circus theme but it is a good way to discuss shapes.  As my students are two-years-old I pre-cut the shapes for them but allowed them to glue everything on in their own way.

Materials:
- Construction paper for the background in a bright color
- Seal cut out or outline if the children are cutting it themselves
- Trapezoid or rectangle shape for the seal's stage in construction paper
- Gray tempera (or white and black if you would like to explain making gray and what a shade is)
- Glue and scissors

Preparation:
If your class is young like mine and not able to cut for themselves, pre-cut the seal, stage, and cupcake liner and place into zip lock bags to keep them organized.  You can either mix the gray yourself or do this in front of your children as a way to explain how gray is made.

Our YouTube Video showing the process:

Truffula Trees: An Earth Day/Arbor Day Printing Lesson

The following lesson is inspired by Dr. Seuss' story "The Lorax." With Earth Day and Arbor Day both in April I thought this would be an appropriate story to base a lesson on. Using koosh balls that you can find at any dollar store, children will enjoy the novelty of painting a scene from a familiar and well-loved story.

Vocabulary to Introduce:

printing
recycling

Materials:

-construction paper (blue, green, and white)

-scissors

-glue stick

-tempera paint (red, yellow, purple, pink, white, black)

-small paper plates for paint

-koosh balls (one for each color if you don't want to have to wash in between colors)

-paint brush

Preparation:

Give each child a sheet of blue paper for their background, a half sheet of green and half sheet of white.  Place each paint color on a plate with a koosh but don't forget to include a plate that shares a small amount of black and white for the tree trunks.  

For Older Children:

You can make the picture more complicated by using found twigs for tree trunks painted with white and black paint and using small pieces of bright colored yarn.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process: