Raccoon Craft | Heart Shapes | Preschool Lesson Plan Printable Activities

Raccoon Crafts
Preschool Lesson Plan Printable Activities | Heart Shape

Instructions and Suggestions

Materials

Alphabet > Letter R >
R is for Raccoon

Animals > Mammals > Forest > Urban > Raccoon

Books > Raccoon picture books

Character education > Online story time > Rusty the Respectful Raccoon

Colors > gray, black, white

Crafts > Shapes > Heart Shapes Animals > Hearts Raccoon

Holidays and Events >
*Feb. 14th > Valentine's Day
June > Zoo and Aquarium Month

Numbers | Math > Activities: Counting, Sizing, Sorting

Age group: Older toddlers to early elementary

The raccoon is a wild animal that is very curious, and adaptable to many environments. Let's learn more!

Young children will have fun making an easy and fun craft of a raccoon (two versions) almost entirely assembled with heart shapes (except the eyes). Many basic skills can be addressed during and after the craft assembly process. Other printable support materials and links to related activities are provided.

The heart raccoon theme crafts are appropriate for St. Valentine's Day, and other related holidays, Forest theme or Urban animals theme.

Activity #1: Hearts Raccoon Crafts

Craft #1: Hearts Raccoon (head only) Ages 2.5+ this version has large pieces and is suitable for older toddlers to under age 6 and large groups (Note: pre-paste small eyes for toddlers)

Craft #2: Hearts Raccoon - Ages 4+ (version with body)
- this version has smaller pieces and is suitable for ages 4+ and older (Note: pre-paste small eyes for younger children)

Review your options for printing the craft version of your choice as well assembly options that best meet your needs. Before assembly conduct some of the learning activities suggested below:

Printing and assembly options for the craft:

Option 1:   Print craft color templates of your choice and assist with scissor cutting when needed. Encourage older children to cut out their own templates as much as possible. Conduct learning activities below and assemble.
Option 2: Print black and white templates. Children will only need a black and red crayon.   For craft 1, the template indicates which templates to color black and gray.
Option 3: For large groups or to recycle left over materials, print black & white templates on card stock and use as a master template. Trace the patterns directly on black and gray construction paper, left-over paper, or fun foam to obtain pieces needed.

Other decorations and ideas for the craft option:
1. Replace eyes template with medium plastic wiggly eyes instead of the eyes template (for children ages 3+ only)
3. Tape a ribbon, string or a piece of magnet to the back to use as decoration or ornament.
4. Puppet: For the head craft tape it to craft stick (Popsicle stick or tongue depressor) for an instant hand puppet or make a paper bag puppet using the assembled panda head craft.

Activities #2: Learning Activities to conduct before craft assembly:
Choose those activities you feel are appropriate for the ages of children.

Shapes & Colors Activity:

1. Ask children to identify the shapes and colors on the template if using the color template.  Ask the children to identify the colors.

Numbers/Early-Math Activities:
To conduct these activities pieces should be decorated and cut out.

1. Sorting & Sizing: Have the children sort the hearts by size - smallest to largest.

2. Counting: Count how many of each size there are and how many in total to assemble the craft. You may want to write numbers on the blank side to acquaint the children with printed numbers. In this activity you may want to also count the eyes.

Proceed with craft assembly.
Show the small image provided in the template to help the children see how the finished craft looks and to aid them in positioning the pieces.  Save this small image to be used later as a sticker in other learning activities. With large groups, assemble a craft by steps in front of the group.

Assembly Craft 1 - face only
1. Paste small black nose on white heart.
2. Paste the white heart on inverted large heart > head.
3. Paste two black hearts horizontally to create (the mask). Paste eyes over these hearts.
4. Paste inner black ears inside gray ears.
5. Paste assembled ears to head.
5. Optional: Write letter R and the word raccoon in the body or behind the craft

Assembly craft #2 (with body)
Assemble head pieces first:
1. Paste white heart with small black nose on inverted heart head.
2. Paste two black hearts to create (the mask). Paste eyes over these hearts.
Assemble body pieces next:
4. Paste heart feet as one piece on inverted heart body.
5. Paste tail diagonally on the back of body.
6. Paste assembled head in place.
7. Optional: Write letter R and the word raccoon in the body or behind the craft

After completing the craft the children can hold their finished craft while conducting some of the activities below.

Activity 2: Science & Social Studies: Raccoon facts and images

Activity 3: Language Arts:
Alphabet letter R raccoon printable activities and handwriting practice

Activity 4: Present a Raccoon Theme Picture Book
Here is a small selection of beautifully illustrated raccoon theme books.

Activity 5: Character Education > Respect
Read and print the online story Rusty the Respectful Raccoon, and visit the parent and teacher resources.

Hearts
Raccoon Craft 1
head only - heart shapes
Panda Craft - head only assembled with heart shapes
Templates
*Color
*Black & White

Hearts
Raccoon
Craft 2

Templates
*Color
*Black & White

Alphabet Letter R Raccoon Printable Activities

Other materials:
Raccoons coloring pages

*Glue or glue stick
*any paper, card stock, construction paper
*materials to color with
*scissors

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