Want to know my favorite must-haves for every country unit I teach? Yep, art and cooking!
In the blog post below, you can learn how to teach a very doable Turkey art project for kids, and then head over to my blog post, How to Make One of Turkey’s Most Popular “Fast Foods” With Kids, to dive deeper into your Turkey unit.
KICKSTART THIS TURKEY ART PROJECT FOR KIDS WITH A TURKEY COUNTRY BOARD
Using the Turkey Country Board I created (and sell in my Etsy Shop, Countries on Board), we learned the key country facts about Turkey, a transcontinental country located between Europe and Asia, known for its rich history, cultural diversity, and stunning natural beauty.
Country boards feature a particular country and serve as a visual aid to enhance students’ understanding of that country’s culture. I have been using them for 12 years!
With colorful images, interesting facts, and hands-on activities, students can learn about geography, history, culture, language, music, dance, literature, art, cuisine, and more. They can also be introduced to key historical events or figures that shaped the country’s past and present.
I encourage you to use a country board for your next country unit!
HOW TO MAKE A TURKISH EYE PAINTING FOR YOUR NEXT TURKEY UNIT
The Turkish eye, also known as the Nazar, is a protective symbol used in Turkish culture to ward off the evil eye and bring good luck. I picked this aspect of Turkey to paint because It boldly represents a symbol synonymous with the country.
My students enjoyed painting the Turkish eye because its simple shape is easy to draw, and the painting process involves only curved lines, without any intricate details to fuss over.
LET’S PAINT! FIRST, GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES
I used white, light blue, bright blue, black, and gold acrylic paint for this project. You will also need a jar of water, a paper plate for a palate, paper towels for blotting the paintbrush dry between colors, and Q-tips for painting the gold accent dots around the eye.
I bought inexpensive 9 X 12-inch canvases in bulk on Amazon. I prepped these ahead of time with one coat of white paint. You could also use 8 1/2 X 11-inch white card stock or multi-media paper.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAINTING A TURKISH EYE
You can start by sketching the eye shape LIGHTLY onto the canvas with a pencil.
PRO TIP: Before painting, advise your students to erase their pencil marks lightly, leaving them barely visible, to ensure that they won’t be noticeable under the paint.
Paint the white circle of the eye first and let it dry.
Next, paint the light blue center circle, letting it dry before painting the black pupil. Then paint the outer light blue border.
Complete the eye by painting the bright blue inner section, applying a second cost to any areas that appear thin or streaky, resulting in a finished painting with bold, vibrant colors and a clean canvas appearance.
Using a Q-tip, students can paint the gold detail around the eye by first painting evenly spaced dots on the upper, lower, right, and left sides of the eye.
Instruct them to paint a dot in the exact middle of each of those dots, and so on until the gold border is finished.
Your Turkish eye painting is complete!
GIFT THIS BEAUTIFUL TASLIMAN TO SOMEONE IN NEED
I encouraged my students to gift this painting to someone special, maybe even someone who could use a little extra protection or good luck. Or, they could hang it prominently in their own home for the same reason.
I hope your students enjoy this Turkey art project for kids as much as mine did!
Please leave any questions you have about this Turkey art project for kids below.
