Art Lesson Plan: Multi-Media Animal Habitats

Multi-Media Habitats is the perfect animal art lesson for this time of the year. With animals migrating to their summer habitats, others coming out of hibernation, and some preparing for new life, there are endless habitats to choose from.

You might live in Wisconsin, where rabbits are building nests for their spring babies, or Colorado, where bears are cleaning and leaving their winter dens. Or perhaps near a lake in Minnesota, where loons are returning for the summer and making nests for their new homes. The habitats being created or modified to accommodate the seasonal change are endless.

Animals, like art students, are very resourceful and use all types of materials to create. I recently encountered a bird’s nest made of plastic bags, twigs, leaves, and gum wrappers. It was amazing how all these cast-off pieces were woven into a usable nest.

With this lesson, you can use several mediums to create the habitat you want to represent. We used Roylco Paper Mesh and Roylco Diffusing Paper in our original plan, along with liquid watercolors, yarn, embroidery floss, and beads. Maybe you have yarn scraps, magazines, plastic bags, tissue paper, string, pipe cleaners, paper bags, bottle caps, cereal boxes, and things from nature like leaves, twigs, long grasses, seashells, and stones.

Multi-Media Animal Habitats Art Project Objectives

• Research and gain knowledge of animal habitats.
• Focus on elements and principles of design by creating layering and texturing within their environment.
• Build hand skills by cutting and sewing into the mesh.

Tips for Multi-Media Animal Habitats

• Be creative, and do not limit yourself to two-dimensional work. Use your found materials to build out a three-dimensional habitat.
• Make sure you do your research to create the most interesting habitat and surrounding environment.
• Have fun finding non-traditional materials to use in your artwork.
• Highlight important Elements and Principles of Design that students should keep in mind when planning their piece.

View the Lesson Plan: Multi-Media Habitats

More Animal Habitat Art Lesson Plans & Ideas

Want to try something else? Check out these other animal habitat art lesson plans and view our Art Lesson Plan collection for even more.

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