Wow! What an amazing start to a perfect way
to spend a rainy day in California!
Wendy and I are at the Southern California Kindergarten Conference
spending the morning with Deanna Jump.
We are getting so many great ideas and can’t wait to share them with our
partner who couldn’t make it today!
We are singing songs, laughing, and making great connections.
We shared our Rainforest
Masks from our Rainforest Unit, which we will soon post on TPT, at the art
exhibit. Amazing that they
actually got them to hang…a lot of
tape! Thank you so much for all of
the ooh’s and awe’s. We are so
glad that everyone thinks they are so great too! Since so many people asked us
how to make them we thought we would share:
The project takes a week
to make but we suggest you spread it out.
There are many layers that need to dry and YOU need time to rest between
steps!
Materials:
Nasco
paper mache face mask (pkg of 12) You can order online…a bit pricy
( $1.92 each
for 12 or more) but worth it!
Newspaper strips
Light weight tag board or
file folders
Masking tape
Tissue paper
Staflo starch
Gesso (optional)
Spray lacquer or Modge Podge
Paint brushes
Plastic rhinestones
Colored feathers
Pipe cleaners
Glue gun
Unfortunately- there is a
lot of teacher prep in this project but if you do it with a friend it is a ton
of fun and many of laughs. We have
even had some creative parents come in to help with this process!!!
To start you need to use newspaper, tag board,
and lots of tape to create each individual animal face. This is where you need to be VERY
creative! We were cracking up when
we made some of the unique rainforest animals like the Walking Stick, which is
in the picture below.
Once you have created
each mask (this may take a couple of days depending on your class size) it is
time for the students to get messy!
Using small strips of
newspaper, students need to completely cover the mask with paper dipped in
starch. We always us starch (you
can find it a Smart and Final or sometimes at the Dollar Store) but you can
also use a mixture of ½
glue and ½ water.
Let the mask dry
completely!!!
If you want to make the
mask dry hard with less bumps, you need to cover the mask with gesso. Gesso is available at Michael’s or
Aaron Brothers. Check to make sure it is kid friendly. We do this after school.
We always include this step because it covers the newspaper print and seals the
bumps. It also means the kids only
need to do the next step once.
When the Gesso is dry the
students choose tissue paper squares in the colors of their animal. This takes teacher guidance… you may need to help them choose the colors so as
not to have rainbow animals.
Students use a paintbrush to apply the tissue squares to the mask using
starch. Let masks dry completely
overnight.
If you did not do the
Gesso step, students will need to apply a second layer of tissue to make sure
that the newsprint is covered.
Once the tissue is dry
you can either have the students paint the masks with semi gloss modge podge or
YOU can use a spray semi gloss lacquer.
Let dry completely.
If you want to make the
masks wearable art use a nail or a small drill bit make a whole on each side of
the mask. Use elastic cord or
twine to make a strap.
The final step is bedazzling
the masks with sequins, rhinestones, feathers, beads, pipe cleaners, and any
other goodie you can find! Students
love picking out what they are going to put on their mask! You can have the students use tacky
glue and glue on their own design but we have found over the years it is easier
to have students work with a parent or teacher to design their mask while the
adult hot glues it.
We always take pictures
of our kiddos wearing their mask and post it with the mask and an original
animal poem!
We hope you enjoy this
project! We’d love to hear or see
how it works in your classroom!
