Create your own jungle collage this week at The Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Art Studio Manager John Bomhoff shares instructions.

Ages: 5 and above.

Materials:

Colored construction paper
Green, yellow and orange sheets of copy paper
Tissue paper scraps
Plastic leaf rubbing plates (available at Discount School Supply, 800-627-2829 or discountschoolsupply.com) or leaves from outdoors
Crayons
Scissors
Glue stick

Instructions:

Look at pictures of Henri Rousseau’s jungle collages. Notice the enormous make-believe plants, the animals and the people.

Choose some sheets of copy paper.

Place a sheet of copy paper on top of a rubbing plate or over real leaves and create a leaf rubbing with crayons. Repeat the process to create more rubbings.

Cut out the rubbings and glue them onto the construction paper to create a jungle scene.

Add tissue paper flowers if you wish.

Draw and cut out animals and/or people.

TEACHABLE MOMENT

This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce your child to the French artist Henri Rousseau. Rousseau lived from 1844 until 1910. A self-taught artist, he is known for his fanciful jungle paintings. Having never visited a real jungle, his paintings evolved from his imagination after touring the botanical garden in Paris. After one such trip he wrote, “When I go into the glass house with the strange plants from exotic lands, it seems like I have entered a dream.” Although his work was criticized while he was alive, people now appreciate his child-like way of painting.

View more crafts.

About the Children’s Museum of Phoenix

The mission of the Children’s Museum of Phoenix is to engage the minds, muscles and imaginations of children and the grown-ups who care about them. With hands-on, interactive exhibits designed for children ages birth to 10, the Museum focuses on learning through play, with emphasis on early childhood education and school-readiness.

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is located at 215 N. 7th St. in downtown Phoenix, at the southeast corner of Seventh Street and Van Buren in the historic Monroe School Building. In 2011, it was named one of the “10 Best Children’s Museums” by Parents magazine.

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