Having seen Ioan’s Lion King Lanterns, Finny was keen to make some light up Lion King decorations of his own. Being FInny, he wanted to use his favourite craft supply, toilet roll holders.

Resources

  • Toilet roll holders
  • Paint sticks
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Paper
  • Tea light

Method

As usual, this was all child led and I had no idea what Finny was planning to make. He likes to keep it all a surprise so I can see it unfold in real time.

Finny painted the toilet rolls diagonal stripes.

Then he decided to blend the colours together.

He cut the eyes out of the Simba cub he had drawn. These were very sharp scissors and very tiny, fiddly shapes to cut out, so he managed to snip his finger. But being as independent as he is, he got himself a plaster and carried on, insisting he could still do it all by himself.

Next, he moved on to drawing Mufasa, using the logo of the stage production as inspiration. He decided to try drawing it on a piece of paper first, incase he made any mistakes.

Then, when he was happy with his design, he drew straight on to the painted toilet roll in pen.

Finny cut out the shapes for Mufasa’s mane, added some ears, then cut out a bit more mane.

Finny finished cutting out Mufasa, then moved on to drawing Pumba and Timon.

He cut out their features.

Then added an adult Simba, to complete the scene from the end of the song ‘Hakuna Matata’.

Finny couldn’t wait for it to go dark, to try them out and see his vision come to life.

The finished products. Finny found it fascinating watching the light play on the surface of the toilet roll. Sometimes there was a complete silhouette and other times you could see the image and the colours he had painted it.

DfES Outcomes for EYFS and National Curriculum (2013)

Art and Design Key Stage 2 programme of study

Pupils should be taught to:

  • use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
  • use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
  • develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space

Science Year 3 programme of study

Light

  • recognise that they need light in order to see things and that dark is the absence of light
  • recognise that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object