Alaskan Landscape

Research Alaskan wildlife and landscapes then create a mixed media landscape with carefully placed native animals.

• 1.

  Research Alaskan wildlife. Take notes and make sketches about animal behaviors and their natural habits on notecards or in journals with Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils.

• 2.

  Sketch an Alaskan landscape with colored pencils. Include features such as tall evergreen trees, glaciers, icy cold streams, and mountains.

• 3.

  Paint the landscape with Crayola Washable Watercolors and Watercolor Brushes. What colors and techniques best depict these natural features? Dry overnight.

• 4.

  Imagine animals you see on your Alaskan adventure. Draw moose, elk, polar bears, brown bears, or fish on another sheet of paper with erasable colored pencils. How can you make your wildlife proportional to the landscape and each other?

• 5.

  Cut out the wildlife with Crayola Scissors. Attach them to the landscape painting with Crayola School Glue.

• 6.

  Add white Crayola Washable Paint to mountain tops to make them appear snowcapped. Create falling snow by spatter painting lightly over the scene.

Benefits

• Students locate resources and collect information about Alaskan wildlife and landscapes.
• Students create written journal entries and sketches as if they were on an Alaskan wilderness journey.
• Students design mixed-media landscapes with wildlife to demonstrate what they learned about the Alaskan wilderness.

Adaptations

• Write journal entries for a several-day imaginary adventure into the Alaskan wilderness. What animals do you spot? How do you keep warm?
• Read books about Alaska and animals with younger children. Make notes on chart paper. Organize notes into categories, such as animals and scenery. Children work together to create a watercolor mural with animal pictures.
• Find out the status of wildlife in Alaska. What animals are endangered? Why? Which are protected?