ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Eyes in the Dark--Drawing Nighttime Animals

When daytime animals go to sleep, nighttime animals wake up. Imagine what it would be like to go on a nighttime walk and see some of these nocturnal animals peering in the dark. 

Here's how you can make your own illustration of the animals you might see.

You will need:

    Black construction paper.

    Chalk.

    Googly eyes. (You can buy these at a craft store.)

    Glue.

Use the chalk to draw your animals on the black paper. Glue the eyes in place. What kind of nighttime scene did you create?

Animals that are active at night are called nocturnal animals. You can read about both daytime and nighttime animals in my Day and Night books.

AUTHOR VISIT at the WPC Preschool, Los Angeles, CA

This morning I made my annual visit to the Westwood Presbyterian Preschool and had two lively sessions–the first with the three-year-olds, and the second with the four-year-old group. With the younger children we read Noisytime for Zoo Animals--complete with making the animal sounds, counted eggs and chicks in Who Has More? And Who Has Fewer?, sang the Wiggle and Waggle song, and went on a lion hunt after reading A Zebra’s World. With the older group, I shared my new book Living Fossils and showed them my nautilus shell and 50 million year old fish fossil. We then talked about birds and measured the students’ wingspans. We also discussed nocturnal and diurnal animals in my Day and Night books. The children will soon be making their own books. I shared with them how I make cut paper art for the illustrations in my books. As always, I finished by reading The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers, a perennial favorite. I thank all the teachers, Heidi Rudd in the office, and director Sophie Robertson for helping to make this another successful visit!