Sea Turtle Collage
Green sea turtles are so cool! This endangered species can live up to 80 years, grow to 5 ft in length, and weigh up to 700 pounds! Whew! That’s a large animal considering how tiny they start. It inhabits tropical and subtropical waters around the world which means they’re found around most of the world. Their front flippers look like paddles and help them move smoothly through the water. Adult green turtles are herbivores, only eating algae and sea grasses, but juveniles begin as carnivores- eating small invertebrates like crabs, jellyfish, and sponges. They become more omnivorous as they mature.
This project fits nicely into the ocean unit and allows us to practice our pattern making and cutting skills.
MATERIALS:
+ large blue paper
+ markers
+ black sharpie
+ glue
+ scissors
+ turtle shell and body part worksheets
Up first, create different patterns inside the shell shape. This normally takes most of one hour long class after introducing the green turtle. No single color patterns here. We’re almost Kindergarteners so we’re making lots of new, fresh, colorful patterns! Cut the shell out and glue it to your blue background. We also work with the amount of glue we’re using. This is a little sheet of paper so you only need a little glue!
Break out that sharpie and start adding even more patterns to the body parts. The little dots on the head are nostrils, not eyes, so be sure you don’t leave those out! After you’re done with the patterns it’s time to cut out the body parts and glue them. Check out the photo below to see the correct direction of the front flippers. They are long and point down toward the tail.
I always try to tuck my body parts under the shell because that’s where the soft parts are protected. It’s ok if they touch the top of the shell, but try putting them under to make it realistic!
To finish it all off, find some blue markers and add some waves to your watery background. They do spend a lot of their lives swimming so it only makes sense. Happy making!
