Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Play with Long Strokes and Shades: Oil Pastel Lion Mask for Kids

Lion Mask Paper Plate

We had our first experience with oil pastels. The lion mask we made was a perfect craft for practicing long strokes and a first experience with oil pastels. My Firefly called them "crayons" first, but soon fell in love with the bright colors and soft textures. The beautiful story and the book was an inspiration for our art activity.

 

The Lion and the Mouse

"The Lion and the Mouse" by Jerry Pinkney was our wonderful inspiration for this art activity. The story is based on the Aesop's fable. It doesn't matter how big or small your friend is: he will always be there for you when you need him! The award-winning book is truly wonderful and engaging. My Firefly spent some time just staring at the illustrations - every page has its wow factor for little ones.

Amazon affiliate link: The Lion & the Mouse.


Play with Long Strokes and Shades

We started coloring the paper plate with the yellow pastel. The long strokes from the center of the plate all the way to the edge was a skill to practice here.

Then we discussed the picture of the lion again:
  • What does he look like?
  • What would he like to do?
  • Why was he such a good friend to the little mouse?
  • What colors can we see on the picture? What shades?


I asked My Firefly to pick several shades of yellow and orange from the box. Bright colors and soft textures of the oil pastels got her so excited to get coloring! No wonder they are #1 best seller in drawing crayons (Amazon affiliate link): Pentel Arts Oil Pastels, 50 Color Set (PHN-50)

She colored the white spaces with the colors. I offered her pastels one by one going from light to dark and helped her to turn the plate while moving around it.


Oil Pastel Lion Mask

To make a mask, I cut out a circle in the center and helped attach the stick. We just love our new craft sticks we found at Michaels! They have self-adhesive tips so that the craft can be used immediately and hold great through some rough playing. Amazon affiliate link: Darice SS0011J 20-Piece Wood Sticky Sticks with Adhesive Tips.


This lion is definitely into something and just loves to roar!

We've been into some fun Zoo animals explorations recently:
Fun with Zoo Animals: Visual Hands-on Math and Graphs
Hoppy Father's Day Frog on a Lily Pad
Summer at the Zoo Preschool Activities

You are very welcome to follow us here:

1 comment: