Here is a great little art project for an Early Childhood classroom tackling the Eye within a five senses theme. I can’t take credit for the birth of this idea but will definitely be using it again.
Parts of the Eye Activity Materials Needed:
- White, black, brown, blue and green construction paper
- Scissors or Pin Poker
- Glue
Parts of the Eye Approach:
- Prep the shape of an eye, two per child, one on a black {dark} background and one on a white {light} background, and the small and large pupils
- Begin with a lesson at circle explaining the parts of the eye with cards from Montessori Printshop and reading one or two books like Aliki‘s My Five Senses
or Sight (The Five Senses) by Maria Ruis
. Show REAL images of REAL eyes. Explain how eyes come in many shapes, sizes and colors and that is a beautiful thing.
- Then talk about the functioning of the eye using the cards or a book as a prop
- Then talk about the pupil how when our eyes see darkness our pupils widen to let in as much light as possible and when our eyes see brightness our pupils narrow to prevent too much light from coming in
- Introduce the art project
- Older children can cut out the parts of the eye or you can prep the parts. Pin poking is also a great option.
- Use glue to put the parts of the eye together. One for light and one for dark.
- Display
Other fun extensions:
- Graphing eye color
- Use a mirror for a self-portrait
- Explore magnifying glasses, binoculars and microscopes
- Use a blind fold to make your way around the classroom using the senses of touch and hearing
Thanks for visiting!
Marnie