Fifth Grade

"Calabash Cat" Inspired Animals

The fifth graders worked on patterned animals inspired by the illustrations in the book "Calabash Cat".  The author/illustrator, James Rumford, was inspired by a calabash gourd cat decorated with African inspired patterns.   The book follows the adventures of calabash cat as he seeks to find where the world ends.  Along the way he encounters animals from different lands.

On the first day we practiced creating patterns with sharpies.  The following class we drew a variety of animals and then each student picked their favorite to use for a final project.  Sharpies were used to add decorative patterning and colored pencils were used to add color and enhance the patterning.  They finished their project by cutting and pasting their animal to a brown or black paper background.

Calabash Cat Gourd

James Rumford's Calabash Cat