Today, I taught my children the old saying, “March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb.” Here in the great Pacific NW, March definitely came in like a lion! My daughter had a snow day in MARCH! So, in honor of this lion-like day (and to keep my kids from going completely stir-crazy), I decided to haul out some art supplies, and get the kiddos involved in a fun and simple craft!

We made rainbow lions (because really, isn’t that more fun than plain lions??) I actually am a big believer in letting kids create things with their own color palettes. I job-shared a classroom once with someone who would actually throw the kids’ artwork away if they colored something in a non-realistic way…drove me up a tree! I would always try to do as many creative and free projects as possible during my time with the kids to make up for it! Who cares if your child wants to make the horse green? A purple polka dotted cat? Sure! Don’t crush your child’s creative spirit by locking them into traditional norms….let them release their own ideas….(Okay, coming off the teacher soapbox now….)

Our rainbow lions look a bit like clowns, but that doesn’t bother me (or the kids) one bit! They had so much fun making them, and are now using them as masks. An art project that turned into creative and imaginative play? Yes please! Check out our finished masterpieces!

I have pretty cute little lion cubs huh? To make these lions, you will need:

paper plates

colored construction paper

googly eyes

pom poms

glue

scissors

a pencil

To start, glue the eyes and nose on your paper plate. (Glue on the side you would NOT put food on!) I actually used hot glue for the eyes and nose, as regular glue does not always hold them! My kids did not go near the hot glue…Next, have your child choose a shape for the mouth, and any extra facial features they would like. (My daughter added cheeks.)

Next, cut the construction paper into strips. The length is not very important here, and it does not matter if they are straight or wavy. This is a good opportunity for a preschooler to practice using scissors! Glue the strips around the outside rim of the plate (on top). Have your child choose how they want to glue the strips. (If you wanted to use this as a teaching tool, you could have them do a pattern, and talk about it..(ABAB, blue, red, blue red, etc.)

You will need to model the next step a few times for your child, but they will be able to do it themselves. Show your child how to roll the paper strips using a pencil. Wrap the strips tightly around the pencil, pinching slightly at the end. Show them how to be careful not to pull the strip right off of the plate. Gently slide the pencil out and see the curl! The curls will become the lion’s mane. The tighter you wrap, the shorter the mane will appear. My son got bored, so I wrapped most of his mane in tighter curls. My daughter chose to make looser curls. They both look great!

Have fun making lions with your little cubs and welcome in March! Here’s to hoping it will go out like a lamb! (And yes, i will be posting a lamb craft the last day of March.) =) Happy crafting!