Recycled Rain Forest
Art/Science
Children will use recycled cardboard to make jungle animals and plants.What You Need
- Recycled cardboard, such as cereal boxes, macaroni & cheese boxes, shipping boxes
- Scissors
- Markers
- Poster paint
- Old newspapers
- Glue or tape
What to Do
- Describe a rain forest scene with animals (monkeys, birds, lizards, insects) and plants (trees, vines, bushes). If necessary, use visual aids. Invite children to create a "recycled rain forest" out of recycled cardboard and newspaper that they bring in. Point out that recycling paper helps save trees and animals in forests.
- Have children work alone or with partners to create jungle animals and plants, using cardboard, newspaper, and crayons, markers, or paint. Suggest shredding newspaper for the ground, or balling it up to make rocks, and using cardboard to make cutouts of animals and plants. Make one or two models to show children.
- Help children tape bent cardboard tabs to their cutouts to make their creations stand up.
- Remind children to give each animal a place to live and food to eat, as they complete their Recycled Rain Forest. Monkeys need trees and vines and fruit, birds need worms and insects, insects need places to burrow, etc.
- Display children's completed Recycled Rain Forest in the classroom.