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Who’s Hooting?

What animals sleep during the day and are active at night? Students will explore nocturnal animals and create a picture that depicts one of the animals as a torn-paper collage.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Heavy Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Ask children if they know of  any animals that are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and are active at night. Have them learn about some of these animals, which include most owl species (there are two species that are diurnal, meaning they're awake during the day and sleep at night and about 20% of owl species are crepuscular, meaning they're most active at dawn and dusk), raccoons, bats, most fireflies, and many others. 

  • Step 2

    Have children make a torn-paper collage that features a nocturnal animal. They could tear construction paper into small pieces in one session and revisit the lesson another day to compose the collage. After the colorful pieces have been glued to heavy paper they can embellish the animal with features, using construction paper crayons.

  • Step 3

    Ask children to present their art and discuss the nocturnal animal they depicted.

Standards

ARTS: Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches. 

SCI: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

Adaptations

Read a book such as "Fox Explores the Night" by Martin Jenkins and Richard Smythe, "Fiona the Fruit Bat" by Dan Riskin and Rachel Qiuqi, "Night Animals" by Gianna Marino, or any other book with a nocturnal animal as a main character. Have students imagine what it might be like to sleep during the day and be active at night. How might school be different? How would playing in the moonlight feel?

Invite a wildlife specialist to talk to the class, either in person or via video, about the nocturnal animals in your region.