Elephants: Get Crafty printable pdf download

Elephants: Get Crafty

The following activities are intended as informal alternatives or creative supplements

Find

elephant facts,

to the lessons in the Elephants: Never Forget Teaching Guide. Younger students in

photos, illustrations

particular may find these artistic activities helpful as an accessible introduction to the

& designs for these

topic of elephants. Educators may choose to send students home with the activities to

activities at:

work on with their families.

Activity One:

Elephant Bookmark

What You Need

Activity Steps

For this activity, students read

Give students a sheet of paper each and

• Sturdy Paper

books and create illustrated

have them cut the paper roughly into fourths,

• Safety scissors

bookmarks as records of the

parallel to the paper’s shorter sides. (They

• Colored pens or pencils

may fold the paper in half, then in half again to

most interesting things they

• Other photos and illustrations for

make cutting lines.)

learn about elephants. By

decorating bookmarks

2) Have each student use the strips to make one

personalizing their bookmarks

• Elephants: Never Forget teaching

or more bookmarks. Tell students to write “My

with art, students connect to

guide and/or books about elephants

Elephant Bookmark” with their names at the

information and remember

(select in advance or have children

top of one side of the bookmark.

make a library trip). You can also

facts. You may choose to

3) Encourage students to read about elephants

find elephant fact cards and coloring

and to write on their bookmarks a fun or

have students answer a

pages with elephant facts online at

important fact.

targeted question, such as

4) Have students turn the bookmark over and

“What fact did you find

decorate it with elephant pictures that they

most interesting about

draw themselves or cut out.

elephants’ bodies?”

5) Encourage students to share their bookmarks

Alternatively, you may

with you or with a peer to say why they chose

the facts and images they did.

choose to leave it completely up

to the students to choose the facts that they

find most interesting.

What You Need

Activity Steps

Activity Two:

Elephant Mask

• Large Paper plates

Distribute paper plates to students. Encourage

them to color and decorate these to look like

• Safety scissors

In this activity, students

elephant faces, based on what they have

• Gray or brown paint, crayons,

create elephant masks, with

learned from reading about elephants. Help

markers or colored pencils

the option of extending

them cut eye holes.

• A one-hole punch

this activity through role-

2) Help students to cut out and decorate ears

• Yarn (or elastic string, ribbon or

play. Encourage students to

and a trunk from grey construction paper. If

twine)

study photographs and text

desired, tusks can be cut from white paper.

• Glue

describing how an elephant

Glue to the center and sides of the paper plate

• Grey and white construction paper

face.

looks before making their masks.

• Other materials for decorating

If you choose to add the role-play,

3) Help students use scissors or a hole punch to

elephant masks

make holes at either side of the elephant face.

consider asking students to depict an elephant

4) Tie the yarn to one side of the mask and wrap

family’s special relationships or problems herds

the yarn around the back of the student’s head

may face finding food and water. The activity

before tying it off at the other side of the mask.

allows students opportunities for creative

expression in response to their learning.

What You Need

Activity Steps

Activity Three:

Elephant Cube

1) Make photocopies of the cube template on the

• Copy of Elephant Cube template

reverse side of this flyer, and distribute these

• Safety scissors

In this activity, students create multimedia

to students.

• Colored pens or pencils

cubes with written facts, drawn pictures,

2) Before cutting and folding the cubes, ask

• Tape or glue

photograph clippings, and other decorations.

students to write about elephants or draw

• Elephant photos and illustrations

or paste photographs of elephants in each

Once they have finished, you may choose

from magazines and websites, such

square. Encourage them to include facts

to extend the activity by having them take

as:

and images about elephants that they found

turns rolling their cubes and telling you (or

important.

a partner) more about the side that lands

3) Help students cut out, fold, and paste or tape

face up. This activity again allows students

together their cubes.

to personalize their responses to learning

4) (optional) Ask students to roll the cube and tell

about the fact or image on the side that lands

through creative expression in various forms.

face up.

Elephants: Get Crafty

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