Materials
Paper plates or paper bowls, one per child
4 plastic forks, 1 plastic spoon, and 1 plastic knife for each tortoise
Tape
Newspaper
Brown, yellow, and green tempera paint in containers
Paintbrushes
Brown, tan, orange, and yellow construction paper
Instructions
What to do
1. Help the children tape the spoon, the forks, and the knife to the inside of the plate or bowl for
the tortoise's head, legs, and tail, respectively.
2. Have the children place their tortoise on a piece of newspaper. Encourage them to paint the
tortoise, experimenting with a mix of colors.
3. Lay brown paper on the floor to represent sand or soil, the tortoise's habitat. Have the children
tear paper to create a mound of dead leaves where the tortoise can burrow for hibernation.
More to do
Field trip: Visit a local pond, canal, or nature center and watch the turtles swim and sun themselves.
Outdoors: Challenge the children to race as if they were turtles, moving slowly but deliberately
toward the finish line.
Science: Mold round white tortoise eggs from clay and bury them in sand; if available, mold the
clay around small plastic turtles, then keep them on a sunny windowsill and let them "hatch."
