Talking With the Animals

Get a pet's point of view as you imagine what animals might tell you if they could share their feelings.

• 1.

  What is your favorite pet or animal? Imagine what one of these animals would say to you, if it could speak. Would it be happy to see you? Would it ask you a question or tell you a story? What might it be thinking?

• 2.

  Cover a table with recycled newspaper. On white paper, use Crayola® Washable Markers to draw your animal. Blend the marker with a wet Crayola Paintbrush for a watercolor effect. Dry.

• 3.

  Use markers and Crayola Crayons on top of the dry watercolor effect to draw strands of fur or to represent skin.

• 4.

  Use a marker to draw a thought bubble above your animal's head. In the bubble, write the words the animal would say to you, if it could. Ask an adult for assistance if you are beginning to learn how to write and spell.

Benefits

• Children imagine what animals might be thinking and would say if they could talk.
• Students develop empathy for others' feelings and ideas.
• Children draw images of animals and write what the animals would say if they could talk.

Adaptations

• Use this method to predict how people might talk about new ideas or current event. Draw a picture of them, then write what you think they might say.
• Write a new ending to a favorite story by drawing the characters and creating thought bubbles that describe the action.
• Imagine what inanimate objects might say if they could talk? What might your furniture say? What about the clouds, a bus, or your lunch box? Draw and write your ideas.