Animals display wonderful variations in pattern on their skin, feathers, scales, shells or fur, providing plenty of inspiration for creative activities with children in the early years.
As well as developing children's creative skills, the suggestions below will help children to learn about the natural world and the animals that inhabit it. They will develop children's mathematical skills when they reproduce and copy simple repeated patterns. And the variety of pattern work that the activities offer will help children to develop good observation and concentration skills.
Introduce the theme through non-fiction books, stories and, ideally, a trip to the zoo, park or garden to see at first-hand the patterns on animals or insects.
When carrying out the activities, ensure that there are stimulating books available to encourage the children to search for other animals with patterned bodies. Explain to the children that these patterns may be used to warn other animals away, to attract the opposite sex, or to blend in with their natural habitat. And provide plenty of support for children to reproduce the patterns using a variety of creative art materials.
Activity 1
Paint zebras
Zebras exhibit prominent patterns of black and white stripes. They are strange animals because they have the familiar appearance of horses, yet they are covered in startling patterns of contrasting colours.
* Show children photographs and read them stories about zebras.
* Collect small models of zebras that the children can handle and investigate.
* Encourage the children to observe the zebras and to comment on their features.
* Ask them to draw their own zebras on paper with pencils.
* Give them fine brushes and black and white paint.
* Suggest that they paint stripes on their zebras, by alternating the black and white paint.
* Do not underestimate children's potential to complete the task. They will rise to the challenge of alternating colours as needed to embellish their drawings.
* Leave the paintings to dry, and later display them alongside the other patterned animals that they will create.
Activity 2
Tiger masks
Tigers also show off a coat of stunning stripes. Again provide the stimulus in the form of toys and models, and supply art materials for the children to create their own paper tigers. This time use a collage effect. Read The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr (Picture Puffins, 4.99). The children should enjoy the narrative and the illustrations that portray the tiger in a variety of positions, sitting at the table and wandering around the house.
* Use large brown paper envelopes that fit over the children's heads and allow easy breathing.
* Ensure that there is an envelope for each child to make into a mask.
* Mark and cut out holes for the eyes and mouth (adults should help for safety).
* Prepare strips of orange, black and white crepe paper, lengths of orange fluffy wool for the mane, black and white felt for the facial features, and pipe cleaners for the whiskers. Use PVA glue to attach these.
* Encourage the children to decorate the envelopes to create their tiger masks.
* The completed envelopes can be stuffed with a little scrunched-up newspaper, and folded over at the bottom, to give a 3-D effect for the patterned animal display, before they are taken home.
* When the children wear their tiger masks, encourage them to practise growling and let them role-play the scenes in the story they heard.
Activity 3
Bumblebee stripes
Now focus on smaller creatures with which the children should be familiar. The potential sting of a bumblebee may fill many of us with fear, but the insect itself looks like a soft, furry, striped ball held firmly between lacy wings. Research the habits of the bumblebee with the children, and read them a story such as Mr Buzz The Beeman by Allan Ahlberg and Faith Jaques (Puffin Books, 4.99), in which a whole group of people are sent running away in fear of such creatures.
* Make your own striped bees to hang from the ceiling.
* Use a sheet of newspaper to scrunch up into a ball.
* Cover it with some black tissue and seal with sellotape.
* Cut six short lengths of sugar paper to stick to either side of the insect's body for legs.
* Cut yellow paper into strips and stick them on to the black tissue ball at intervals to create the effect of the bumblebee's stripes.
* Use small, circular, yellow, shiny stickers to press on for eyes.
* Concertina small pieces of clear cellophane and glue them on either side of the body for wings.
* String all the bumblebees on lengths of coloured wool to hang from the ceiling in front of the patterned animal display. Your swarm of bees will remind the children of the story of Mr Buzz.
Activity 4
Ladybird, ladybird
Another insect with a recognisable pattern is the ladybird. The children may have seen these sympathetic insects in gardens or parks. They appear like tiny, creeping jewels on the stems or petals of flowers. Their hard, spotted shells shine in the sun. Children have probably enjoyed having one crawl on their hands.
The ladybird has distinctive black spots that the children can recreate when they make their own pair of ladybird armbands to wear and display.
* Use cardboard boxes and cut out large oval shapes so each child has one.
* Cut the oval down the centre to create two equal parts.
* Prepare red paint thickened with PVA glue for the children to sponge on to their shells.
* Leave to dry.
* Cut circular shapes from black sugar paper and stick on as spots. Encourage the children to repeat the pattern of spots on each half of their shells.
* Leave to dry.
* Then the practitioner can attach strong, brown paper armbands, using paper fasteners to the underside of each side of the shells.
the two sides of the shells at one end with string, so that the children can slip each half-shell on to their arms. The shell halves will resemble ladybird wings that meet together across their backs. They can be opened as if in flight when the children go flapping around the room.
* While they are not being worn, the shells should be hung in the display with the other animal patterns that the children have created.
Extension activities
* Explore fabrics with animal prints or print your own and make them available for children to use in role play.
* Provide the children with animal reference books. Look for examples of camouflage, such as a jungle scene in which the light throws shadows on the foliage and trees and successfully hides the hunting tiger. Similarly, patterned snakes can seem to disappear against a background of mixed gravel. If you introduce the children to camouflage by explaining it in this way,they will become increasingly fascinated with the prospect of categorising the animals that featurein the books.