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This is a fun wildlife craft mountain gorilla layered art project. Also, look at my pages Free Africa Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning | Free Continent & Country Reports and 6 World Wildlife Day Activities to Learn About African Lions.

September 4th is National Wildlife Day and what better way to observe it than with a wildlife craft to highlight one of the most loved wild animals – the gorilla.

You don’t have to just specifically study just gorillas.

Also, you can cover all the primates – chimps, orangutans, gorillas, baboons, monkeys, and more.

But I wanted to focus on the mountain gorillas because they are so seriously endangered.

Eastern Mountain Gorillas are found in the Virunga Mountains that border the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.

The rest can be found in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

This wildlife craft is easy and requires little setup.

Not only does it further your study of gorillas but it introduces multiple art techniques, maybe some that your child has never tried before.

Books About Gorillas

Gorilla and Other Primate Resources

Grab some of these resources for your study of gorillas.

The One and Only Ivan

This unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated book is told from the point of view of Ivan himself. 

Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.

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Gorilla mysteries

Discusses the habits of gorillas, giant apes of frightening appearance but gentle behavior, long misunderstood by their human close relatives.

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Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals around the World

Julia Rothman's series of Anatomy books are beloved by children and adults alike. In Wildlife Anatomy, Rothman captures the excitement and distinctive attributes of wild animals around the world. The book is packed with hundreds of her charming, original illustrations, detailing the unique features of animals of the rainforest, desert, grasslands, oceans, and much more. From lions, bears, and zebras to monkeys, mongoose, bats, elephants, giraffes, hippos, and much more, Rothman's visual guide covers all the key features, right down to the anatomy of a lion's claw and a wild horse's hoof. All the illustrations are accompanied by labels, intriguing facts, and identifying details, such as: When is a Panther Not a Panther? and What Makes Aardvarks So Odd? Rothman's characteristic combination of curiosity and an artist's eye makes this wildlife treasury rich and full, and promises new discoveries every time it's opened

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Good Morning, Gorillas (Magic Tree House #26)

Gentle giants or giant monsters? That's the question Jack and Annie have about gorillas when the Magic Tree House sweeps them to the mountains of Africa. There they meet a group of amazing and sometimes frightening mountain gorillas. Annie knows how to play with the creatures right away. But Jack is left out. Will the gorillas be able to teach him some special magic?

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Terra by Battat – Gorilla Family

Experience the Strikingly human-like characteristics of the mighty Gorilla family!
Realistic details: exquisite miniature animals with realistic, accurate detail and beautiful design
Includes: 1 male and 1 female adult Gorilla and 2 infant gorillas

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Koko's Kitten (Rise and Shine)

Koko the gorilla uses sign language to talk to her handlers. When she asks for a pet, her handlers search high and low for the perfect companion.

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Then add a few more resources.

• Gorilla & Me Handprints
• Easy How to Draw a Gorilla Tutorial and Gorilla Coloring Page

More Wildlife Craft Activities

• 6 World Wildlife Day Activities to Learn About African Lions
• Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest – Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts
• How to Make Wooden Peg Easy Arctic Animal Crafts
• 8 Animal Camouflage Activities and Resources & Fun Camouflage Art
• Galapagos Islands Animals Fun and Simple Watercolor Flamingo Tutorial

Next, look at these facts about gorillas.

8 Gorilla Facts

1. There are two species of gorilla, eastern and western. Within these two they split into subspecies- eastern lowland, eastern mountain, western lowland, and western cross river.
2. A Primatologist studies the behavior, biology, evolution, and taxonomy of primates. Famous ones include Jane Goodall (Chimpanzees) and Dr. Dian Fossey (gorillas)
3. Gorillas are incredibly intelligent and have been observed making and using tools for all kinds of tasks such as turning them into silverware and even using them as tools to measure water depth.
4. Just like our fingerprints are unique, gorilla nose prints are special and different from one another.
5. Hanabi-Ko “Koko” was a female western lowland gorilla. She learned over 1,000 signs and understood more than 2,000 English words in her lifetime. She lived to be 46 years old.
6. They are very social creatures and live together in groups of 5-30 gorillas called troops. Each troop generally contains a dominant male, several females, and their young offspring.
7. Adult males are called Silverbacks. On average a silverback gorilla weighs almost 400 pounds and stands over 5’ tall on all fours.
8. Unfortunately, gorillas are critically endangered due to habitat destruction as well as poaching.

Finally, look how to make this fun mountain gorilla art project.

Mountain Gorilla Layered Art Project

You will need:

• Cream or white construction paper
• Colorful construction paper
• Black chalk pastel
• Glue stick
• Scissors

First, start by drawing a jagged/fluffy outline of a gorilla’s head and shoulders on your light paper with a black chalk pastel. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just a general clear shape.

Next lay the chalk pastel flat and drag it across the page to fill in the inside of your outline.

Smudge the chalk to smooth it out and fill it in more solidly with your finger, or you can use a tissue to blot and smear it.

Then cut a circle out of gray construction paper that is a little smaller than the gorilla head you drew, and cut a small dip into the top, kind of like a heart to create a gorilla face.

Draw on features like eyes, nostrils, and a mouth with your black chalk pastel then glue in place.

For the next layer tear up green construction paper into small pieces as well as a few colors to create flowers. We are going to have our gorilla peek out from the thick foliage.

Glue your torn green paper around the gorilla to frame him.

Layer on a few or many-colored pieces for flowers to brighten up your picture.

Finally, use a pen or marker to add a little detail to your flowers like petals.

To keep your chalk from smudging you can spray your paper lightly with a bit of aerosol hairspray.