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Reindeer Games

 

reindeer in the wild

Here's a very easy way for your students to draw a reindeer using their own hands.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED

  • newspaper
  • large sheets of light-colored construction paper
  • brown acrylic or finger paint
  • paper plates
  • markers

HERE'S WHAT TO DO

 
Nancy F. Castaldo is the author of many books packed with inspiring ideas for childhood discovery and learning. In addition to the three titles above, Nancy has written activity guides for teaching children ages 6 to 9 about the ocean, rainforests, deserts, and rivers. All of these titles are published by Chicago Review Press.

Click here to learn about these books and others by Nancy Castaldo.
 

Have students cover the area where they will work with newspaper. Give each student a sheet of construction paper to place on top of the newspaper.

Pour some of the brown paint onto the paper plate. Students will carefully press each hand into the brown paint.

Have students place their paint-covered hands gently on the paper with their two thumbs almost touching and forming an upside-down V in the middle. Their handprints will create their deer's antlers.

After the antlers are in place, have students use markers to draw under the antlers the deer's U-shaped head. Then they can color the tip of the nose black (or red, if they want to create a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer picture).

FUN FACTS

Imagine a land where the summer sun shines all day and all night. This is the land above the Arctic Circle, sometimes called "The Land of the Midnight Sun." The native people who live there are the Saami. They live in the most northern regions of Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and Russia. They speak their own language and even have their own flag, even though they live in different countries. Many Saami here reindeer. They use the reindeer for many things, just as we use cows.

Reindeer are relatives of white-tailed deer. Reindeer become the most talked-about deer during the winter months. Students might even see a reindeer in a petting zoo or a Christmas festival this winter. Unlike the white-tailed deer, both male and female reindeer have antlers.

ANOTHER RESOURCE

Education World's special December Holidays Archive

ACTIVITY SOURCE

This activity is excerpted from Nancy Castaldo's Winter Day Play, which is published by Chicago Review Press. This lesson idea is one of more than 70 activities, crafts, and games from Winter Day Play that are sure to engage children as they discover and learn.

About the Author

A native of New York's Hudson Valley, Nancy Castaldo earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Marymount College and a Master of Arts from the State University of New York. As an environmental educator, author, and Girl Scout volunteer and board member, Castaldo has led numerous children's workshops. Her school programs include workshops on ocean creatures and other nature topics, creative writing, and pizza making/Italy. She has conducted programs at the Boston Children's Museum, Atlanta Zoo, and Tennessee Aquarium. Castaldo's books include River Wild: An Activity Guide to North American Rivers; Oceans: An Activity Guide for Ages 6-9; Deserts: An Activity Guide for Ages 6-9; and Rainforests: An Activity Guide for Ages 6-9. She is also author of a historical-fiction picture book, Pizza for the Queen. To learn more about Nancy and her books, check out her Web site, www.nancycastaldo.com.

Article by Nancy Castaldo
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