Happy Hippo

Happy Hippo lesson plan

Hunt for Happiness---during the third week in January or any day---with this delightful hippo mask. Paint it with a color that makes you smile!

  • 1.

    Read about hippos in children's books and on the Internet. While you read, think about the way hippo faces look, and make sketches with Crayola® Colored Pencils.

  • 2.

    In the book <u>A Picture for Harold's Room: A Purple Crayon Adventure</u>, Harold uses a purple crayon to design a picture of a whole environment. Find information on how color influences perceptions. What effect does an unusual color have on the way you see places? Does an unusual color make you look a little closer at familiar objects? Combine the ideas of hippos and unusual colors to come up with an exciting hippo mask.

  • 3.

    Shape white Crayola Model Magic into a hippo's face that is large enough to fit your head. Look closely at your sketches as you design the mask. Use Model Magic to make the hippo's nose protrude, to add ears, and to shape other details.

  • 4.

    Carefully use Crayola Scissors to cut away eye openings.

  • 5.

    Place the hippo mask on a crumpled ball of newspaper to maintain its rounded shape. Dry.

  • 6.

    Cover a table with recycled newspaper. Use Crayola Tempera and Paint Brushes to paint your mask in an unusual color, such as purple or magenta. Add details with other colors. Dry.

  • 7.

    Use Crayola School Glue to attach elastic to the sides of your mask. Dry. When you're not wearing your mask, use this band to hang it on a wall.

Benefits

  • Children read about hippos in children's literature and research information about hippo faces.
  • Students consider the effect of color on their perceptions of unrelated objects.
  • Children design a hippo mask that accurately reflects the animal's anatomy and paint it in a fanciful color.

Adaptations

  • Students with special needs work together or use adaptive equipment to shape and paint their masks.
  • Create another hippo mask in a different color. Which one do you like better? Or make a variety of animal masks. Write your own play, using the masks as costumes for the characters.
  • Older students do more research about the psychology of color. What colors are calming or soothing? Exciting? Based on your research, what colors would you paint your classroom? A concert hall? A skateboard park?