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Night Owls

Owls are magnificent birds with some very amazing features. Students will learn about these nocturnal birds of prey and depict an owl at night.

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.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Owls are nocturnal birds of prey that are present on all continents except Antarctica. There are over 200 species of owls divided into two families:  Tytonidae (barn and bay owls) and Strigidae (true owls). Have students research some facts about these amazing creatures. For example, their eyes are forward-facing (in order to gather light during their hunts) and do not move, so an owl must turn its whole head to look at something. This is why they have evolved to be able to rotate their necks almost all the way around (270 degrees). They have also held significance to ancient peoples. In ancient Greece owls represented Athena, the goddess of wisdom, but the Romans feared them and saw them as bad omens. Ancient Egyptians believed owls protected the spirits of the dead as they journeyed into the afterlife.

  • Step 2

    Have students look at images of different types of owls. Ask them to then draw an owl on a piece of light or dark construction paper using oil pastels. They can research and reference images as a guide for the colors and features. When they're done they can cut out their owls and glue them to black or dark construction paper to create a nighttime setting.

  • Step 3

    Ask students to present their art and discuss the type of owl they depicted and some interesting facts they learned about this fascinating creature.

Standards

SCI: Design pictorial or graphic representations/models that are useful in communicating ideas.

SCI: Convey designs through sketches, detailed drawings, or physical models to communicate ideas and solutions.  

Adaptations

Many owl species are endangered, some critically. Have students investigate which are endangered and steps that are being taken to protect them.

Owls appear in literature (think Harry Potter books and Winnie the Pooh), visual art, and other art forms. Ask students to look at some examples of paintings that portray owls such as "Little Owl" (1506) by Albrecht Durer, "le Hibou de la Mort" (1952) by Pablo Picasso, and "The Owl's Nest" (c. 1505) by Hieronymus Bosch.