Objective:
The students will create a classroom scarecrow using a variety of materials.

Materials

• Old clothes - shirt, pants, shoes, gloves, hat, etc.

• Straw or plastic grocery bags for stuffing the scarecrow

• A pillowcase to form the head.

• Buttons, Markers, etc.

• Blank sheets of paper - 1 per student

• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils

Procedure

1. As soon as the students arrive in the classroom to start their day, work as a class to create a classroom scarecrow.  The age of the students will determine how much of this activity can be completed in small groups and how much needs to be done as a whole class or by the teacher. Older students may be placed in small groups and assigned different parts of the scarecrow to complete.  For example, one group may work on stuffing the pants, while another group stuffs the shirt.  

2. Use buttons for eyes and markers to draw a nose and mouth.  Talk about the different textures and colors on the scarecrow.  What do the button eyes feel like?  Are the soles of the shoes bumpy or smooth?  What colors have been used?

3. Pass out blank sheets of paper and have the students do a "portrait" of the classroom scarecrow using crayons, markers or colored pencils.

Other Lesson Ideas

1. As an alternative to the above lesson, divide the class into small groups and have each group create their own scarecrow.

2. Have the students create individual scarecrows by drawing a scarecrow and then decorating it with fabric scraps, pieces of felt, buttons, etc.