owl Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

Directed Drawing Ideas – Drawing Forest Animals with Algorithms

April 14, 2020 By Deirdre

Your children will enjoy exploring the directed drawing ideas available in this free set. The set features forest animals. You will find an owl drawing set. After that, you will find a raccoon and a rabbit. The directions on each of the directed drawing worksheets feature Blockly blocks. (Blockly blocks are a coding language featured on Code.org and Scratch.) Each set has a worksheet that features only pictures. You will also find a set that features pictures and words.

Wait! What is Blockly code?

Blockly is a visual coding language. It features coding blocks that can be stacked to create an algorithm or series of steps.

Now Tell Me About Algorithms

Algorithms are a set of directions or a series of steps a computer is given to complete a task. You need to put the directions or series of steps in order to accurately complete a task. If you don’t do what needs to be done first, second, and third, in that order things can go wrong.

Let’s look at getting cereal ready to eat. If you pour the milk in the bowl before adding cereal, things will be okay. If you pour the milk before taking out a bowl, you will have a big mess. The correct order of steps in a task is super important.

When your children work on these directed drawing ideas, there are some steps that could be done out of order. Other steps can’t be done out of order. You will probably want to encourage them to follow the steps in order.

Building Background

You may want your children to read a book about forest animals before they start drawing. Here are some wonderful books about forest animals.

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Getting Ready to Explore the Directed Drawing Ideas

First, you will need to download the How to Draw Forest Animals with an Algorithm. Warning! This set is a PDF. You need to have Acrobat Reader or another PDF reader to open the set.
Second, you will need to open the set and decide which animals you want your children to draw.
Third, you will need to decide which version of the worksheets your children need. Some children may need the word version to know what to draw. They may not notice what has been added to the animal in each step. Other children will find the words a distraction and will do better without them on the page.

Exploring the Worksheets

You can decide if you want to have the children work on the drawing ideas on their own or with you. If you know that your children will have trouble following the algorithm or steps, then you will want them to work with you. They can work on them on their own. When they are done, you can check to make sure they haven’t skipped a step.

More Directed Drawing Ideas and Coding Activities

Drawing a Christmas Tree Based on an Algorithm

Thanksgiving Coloring Pages and Algorithm Activity

Magical Creature STEM Algorithm Drawing Activity

How to Make Liquid Starch Slime Algorithm

Drawing a Cat with a Looping Algorithm

Owl Craft Based on the Book Owl Babies

November 2, 2016 By Deirdre

This week started with my sharing with you an owl eyesight viewer. It could be used to look at the world through the eyes of an owl. Today I want to share an owl craft with you. Both activities could be done after reading the wonderful book Owl Babies.

Creating the Owl Craft

Owl Craft Supplies

brown paper lunch bag
white and black paint
cotton balls
fine grain sandpaper
wiggly eyes
dental floss
scissors
hole punch
pipe cleaner

Putting the Owl Craft Together

Cutting

You will start by cutting out to large ovals out of the brown paper lunch bag.

While you are cutting, you might as well cut a beak and two feet out of the sandpaper.

Painting the Owl Craft

Now you will use cotton balls to paint the front of the two owls. You will probably want to give your children own cotton ball for the white paint and one for the black.

Hole Punching

When the ovals are dry you will stack them on top of each other. Next you will have your children punch a ring of holes on the outside edge of the ovals. Your children will need to place single hole in the top of each of the owls feet.

Creating Facial Features

Then you will glue the wiggly eyes and the beak onto one of the ovals. This will be the front of the owl.

Sewing the Owl Craft

Now it is time for you to sew the top and bottom ovals together. You will need to wrap one end of the dental floss around a pipe cleaner. Your children will you this pipe cleaner needle to sew around edges of the ovals to create a pocket.

When they get to the bottom of the owl, they will line up the hole on each foot between the front and back layers. They will set the feet between the layers. Then the will continue around the oval until they close to where they started.

It is now time to stuff the owl with cotton ball. You may want your children to flatten out the cotton balls.

You will probably need to help your children tie the ends of the floss together in a bow.

If you like this owl craft, here are some more owl activities you will like:

Owl Eyesight STEM Exploration

Fall Owl Crafts

Little Owls Night Craft and Snack

Owl Hand Puppet

Owl Eyesight – STEM Exploration for Kids

October 31, 2016 By Deirdre

Did you know that owls have unique eyes? They have something called binocular vision. No wonder they have to turn their heads almost completely around to see the world around them. This unique owl eyesight keeps them from seeing well from side to side.

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This week the Virtual Book Club is exploring the book Owl Babies Today’s I am going to share an experiment with you that focuses on owl eyesight.

Constructing Your Owl Eyesight Viewer

You may decide that you want to construct one owl eyesight viewer that the whole class can use although you could have your children construct their own eyesight viewer.

Supplies:

three paper plates per owl eyesight viewer
one long cardboard tube per viewer
scissors
glue sticks
brown and gold paint
two plastic forks

Putting Your Owl Eyesight Viewer Together

Cutting Out the Paper Plate Sections

You will start by cutting out the main headpiece by removing the bottom fourth of two of the paper plates. The top fourth will be your use for your viewer.

Then cut eye holes in one of the paper plates. Trace the location of those eye holes onto the second headpiece paper plate. Next cut out all the eye holes.

You will cute the third paper plate into fourths. Two of the sections will be used to create the eye sections for the viewer. The position of the eye holes in the main headpiece will need to be traced onto them and then cut out.

Finally, you will cut a beak and two ears out of one of the remaining paper plate sections.

Painting the Paper Plate Sections

You will use a fork to paint the beak section of the paper plate gold. The remaining sections will be fork painted brown.

Getting the Cardboard Tube Ready

The cardboard tube will need to be cut in half. One end of each of the tubes will need to have three or four slits cut into it. These slits will be folded backwards so the tubes can be attached to the plates.

Constructing the Owl Eyesight Viewer

You will start by gluing the eye sections and the beak onto the front of the paper plate.

You will place the long end of the tubes through the eye holes in the unpainted plate. Then you will glue the flaps onto the front of that plate.

Next, you will glue the painted paper plate to the side of the unpainted plate that has the flap section on it.

Finally, you will glue on the beak and the eye sections to the painted plate.

Another Owl Mask Option

If you would prefer to have your children decorate an owl mask template, you can download this Free Printable Owl Mask Template.

STEM Exploration

Your children can try to look through the tubes to look around. They will notice that they have to turn their heads the same way an owl does to see thing that are not right in front of them.

More Owl Activities

Letter Roll & Color from Sea of Knowledge
Owl Babies Book Craft and Alphabet Activity from Mosswood Connections
Counting Playdough Mats with Owls from Preschool Powol Packets

Whooo are you? Writing Activity from Craft Create Calm
Owl Alphabet Game from The Educator’s Spin on It
Owl Puppets from Powerful Mothering
Movement Tricks to Help Ease Separation Anxiety from Sugar Aunts
Scratch Art Owl from School Time Snippets
Dissect an Owl Babies
Build a Nest STEM Activity for Kids from Views From a Step Stool
Owl Babies Sponge Painting from Adventures of Adam
Owl Babies Shape Activity for Preschoolers from Rainy Day Mum

Owl Hand Puppets

September 11, 2015 By Deirdre

Every fall we try to do an owl craft at my house. Owls just seem like a symbol of fall to me. In the past we have made a torn paper owl with cupcake liner eyes and one out of leaves. They both featured craft elements that made the owls look like they had textured feathers. This year’s craft will allow kids to make hand puppets that have textured feathers.

Rather than using leaves or tore paper, this owl’s feathers were made by painting with a plastic fork. I think the strokes created by the fork add wonderful texture to the craft!

Let me walk you through how we created these hand puppets:

The first thing we did was use a fork to paint the front area of two paper lunch bags with brown paint. (The side with the flap) One bag was for our owl puppets’ bodies. The second paper bag was used to create the owls’ wings and ears.

We fork painted in a circle on each of the owl’s head. Then we painted at all different angles on the owl’s chest. We tried to mimic what the owl’s feathers would look like in real life. In real life their feathers wouldn’t be straight up and down.

Then we added two large white eyes to our hand puppets. We liked the idea of the owls having really big eyes.

Next we added black circles to the owls’ eyes and ears to our owls’ head. The small triangles for the ears were cut out of the second bag.

Finally two large yellow beak cutouts and wings were added. One beak was glued under the hand puppet’s flap. The second was glued on top of the flap. This was done so that when the owl starts speaking you the bottom part of the beak can be seen. ( It is such fun to have the bottom beak revealed when the owl starts talking.)

Wings were cut of the second bag and were glued to the owl hand puppets bodies. Owls have to be able to fly after all.

More Than Just a Craft

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There are tons of wonderful children’s book that featured owls. (I am going to share some on Monday with you.) My favorite owl book is Little Owl’s Night. While our owl hand puppets don’t look just like the owl on the cover, I think they would be great for retelling the story.

Little Owl’s Night Craft and Snack Ideas- Read.Explore.Learn.

November 2, 2012 By Deirdre

As you read the story Little Owl’s Night, you get to travel along with Little Owl as he travels through the air watching all the other nocturnal animals. There are fireflies dancing, moths fluttering toward the moon, and so much more. This tale takes you from the beginning of the night to the end of an evening just as Little Owl goes to sleep.The picture and words in this beautiful book flow. We were introduced to this book during a local story time. I loved watching and listening to this story unfold.

Owl Craft

We created a torn paper owl with cupcake liner eyes! The torn paper was added to cut-out of an owl to make him look like he has feathers. Then a piece of orange paper was used to give the owl a beak and claws. After gluing on two cupcake liners yellow circles and smaller black circles were added to complete the owl’s eyes.He looks ready to take in all the late night creatures and events. I love the texture the torn paper adds to the owl!

When the owl was dry, he was glued to a piece of black paper. The paper makes the various colors of the owl pop!

Owl Sandwich

JDaniel had an owl sandwich created with Colby Jack cheese and whole grain bread to celebrate our study of owls. The cheese used for his feathers has tiny triangles cut out of it to give it a feathery effect. The owl’s ears, feet and beak are also made of cheese. His eyes are small round tomato pieces with tiny pieces of olives on top. He loved his Little Owl’s Night lunch!If you like these Little Owl’s Night activities, here are some wonderful ways to explore books that people linked up last week:

Train Up a Child shared a wonder post on pumpkin exploring done after reading the book The Pumpkin Gospel called Carving Pumpkins with Kids.Reading Confetti linked a post called Easy Dress Up Hate {Paper Plate Craft}. The hats were made after reading a book called Halloween Hats.