This is a really simple but effective paper plate painting craft! I used this activity to introduce my paint routines (e.g. how we use brushes, what to do when we finish painting, how to pack up after painting etc etc) so given that was our main focus of the lesson, I wanted something that didn’t require too much from the kids!
To prep, I cut a paper plate in half and drew a light lead pencil line down one of the halves. You wouldn’t need to do this for older kids, but I wanted to give my kids a bit of a guide!
Next I got the kids to turn the lined paper plate so that the curve was facing upwards (I likened it to a sunrise). They then needed to paint the LEFT hand side yellow for the beak (don’t be confused by the fact that the kid in this photo has turned his upside down while painting!!) and then the RIGHT hand side blue for the head. After a couple of mix ups, I ended up going around and putting a dab of yellow on the beak part to help the kids. I also suggested they painted the middle line first to help make it nice and clear. The head could be any colour you want- it doesn’t need to be blue!
The kids then painted the other paper plate half with green paint. Again, I kept my colour options limited this time, but you could absolutely give them more than one option to choose from!
Once the paint dried, I stapled the beak/head onto the body. My first attempt looked a bit funny, and I realised it was because the beak/head was too high. So I recommend lowering it a bit so that the beak lines up with the body. You’ll then just need to trim the small part of the body that sticks out at the top right. We then glued an eye onto the front and streamers onto the back for the tail- I used streamers that I had cut in half. You could also use strips of crepe paper or tissue paper!
They make a beautiful display- enjoy!!