1st Grade Polar Bears with Northern Lights

We talked about where polar bears live and looked at a globe to see where the North Pole and South pole are located. We learned about the Northern lights and looked at pictures to inspire our Northern lights background with chalk pastels. I demonstrated painting evergreen tree silhouettes using black paint. The artists turned their paintbrush upside down and used the wooden tip of the paintbrush handle to create snowflakes.

To create the polar bears, I placed photographs of polar bears on the tables and we chatted about the kinds of lines and shapes we see in the shape of the head and the facial features. We used white chalk pastels and black oil pastels to create the fur and eyes. I demonstrated creating some shadows with charcoal. Once they were finished, the artists cut out the polar bears and glued them to their background. These have received many compliments at Buffalo Elementary! 

Lesson compliments of MaryMaking. Thank you for the fun lesson!