Week 12- Under the Big Top

Drawing Animals
*paper, pencil, crayons
Follow these simple directions and draw some African animals. Easy enough for a 5 year old! Great self-esteem booster since these turn out so successful.

Drawing Giraffes
*12"x18" paper, pencil, markers (optional: scrap green paper, coffee sleeves, green crayons, scissors, glue)
Show students photographs of giraffes. Notice their spots, horns, long necks...They can draw one big giraffe, a mom with a baby or many giraffes.
-Step 1: Draw a triangle-shaped head and a long neck. Here's a trick with the neck: make the lines slightly come apart near the bottom to show perspective (giraffe will appear even taller). Then add details to the face- draw a line at the bottom of face to show the nose and then draw a stripe down the center of the face (stripe shows the shape of the face). Draw eyes, ears, and horns. Finally draw the spots, which are not perfect circles, and can be drawn on the edge of the neck (and not always centered).
-Step 2: Color with marker. Show kids how some colors contrast with one another. Great choices are complementary colors (opposite colors) such as red/green, yellow/purple, orange/blue. Light and dark colors are also great choices. Demonstrate neat coloring with markers by outlining first and no scribbling.
-Step 3: Cut out dark and light green paper leaves. Using side of green crayons, color coffee sleeves and cut out leaves. Overlap leaves and glue.

Origami Dog
*Square paper (2 per student), crayons, scissors
Motivation: Read Olivia Saves the Circus. In it she's a dog trainer (not a very good one), a tattoed lady, a lion tamer, trapeze artist. A cute book for the younger kids with simple drawings.
Head: Fold paper in half to form a triangle (open point side down). Fold ears up or down. Fold nose.
Body: Fold paper in half to form a triangle (open edge down, 90 degree triangle). Optional: cut out a space to show negative space between legs. Fold tail behind.
Decorate: Add details to face and body with crayons. Some kids use other paper to make leashes, dog bones, bowls, etc.

Clay Oaxacan animals
*Crayola air dry clay (1/8 of a disc of clay- yielding 16 wedges in a container), water, tools (toothpicks, popsicle sticks), paints, brushes (#3 tiny Crayola brush)
Form animal's body and head (if neccesary) by making a ball or cubish shape(s). Pull legs out gently (or attach legs by rolling a thick coil and putting a little water on joint with finger). Do not make legs and tails too skinny and long or they will break off. Note: above lizard sample is from Oaxaca, Mexico and is made out of wood. Frog is made out of clay and tempera paint. Pinch ears out (if necessary), add little balls for eyes or depress eyes and nostrils with pinky finger. Lastly, carve details. Let clay dry for a day or two and paint. Oaxacan sculptures use a lot of pattern the back of a brush is perfect for adding details.