How to Make a Totem Pole Craft for 7th Graders
- 1). Glue four or five wood craft spools together. Apply the glue to the flat side of one spool and stack the next spool on top of it. Keep going until all the spools are glued. Make sure that the glue has dried enough to allow the spools to stay together while working before continuing.
- 2). Sketch images of the animals onto the spools using a pencil. Students may trace over the drawing with a black permanent marker if they wish to have a dramatic outline of the animal. Students may attempt to copy specific images of totem pole animals or make up a symbolic version of their own.
- 3). Paint the animals using acrylic paint. Start from the top totem and work your way down to make it easier to hold the spools as you work. Older totem pole artists used paints made from the environment and the colors were more subdued than many modern shades. For a more-realistic representation of a totem pole, choose colors that are not too bright or add a drop of darker paint to dull the shade.
- 4). Cut wings for birds out of card stock. Draw a sketch of the wings on the paper before cutting or painting them. Leave a rectangular space between the right and left wings for attaching the wings to the totem poles.
- 5). Paint one side of the wings. Let them dry completely before turning them over and painting the other side. Use craft glue to bond them to the totem pole. Apply pressure to the paper with your fingers while holding the other side of the pole firmly with your thumbs for several minutes to help the wings stick to the wood spools.