Henry Rousseau Jungle Animal Drawing - KS1 Art Lesson

This Key Stage 1 art lesson introduces children to Henri Rousseau and guides them in drawing a rainforest animal using careful observation. Pupils explore Rousseau’s jungle paintings, identify hidden animals, and learn how to sketch using simple shapes before adding detail and colour. Ideal for Year 1 or Year 2 (or Grades 1 and 2) art units on animals, jungles, or famous artists.

What’s Included:

✔ Full lesson plan

✔ PowerPoint presentation

✔ 21‑page PDF pack:

✔ 10 rainforest animal reference photos

✔ 3 step‑by‑step exemplar drawings

✔ 4 hidden‑animal plenary images

✔ 4 Henri Rousseau paintings for discussion

✔ Differentiated activity options

Lesson Overview:

★ Starter: Children study Rousseau’s jungle paintings, spot hidden animals, and discuss what they notice.

★ Main: Teacher modelling of drawing using simple shapes; pupils choose a rainforest animal and create a detailed, carefully coloured drawing.

★ Differentiation: Support with outlines or guided steps; core task drawing one animal; challenge to add texture or draw a second animal.

★ Plenary: “Guess the Animal” using partially covered drawings to identify key features.

Why It’s Useful:

✔ Clear structure for a full KS1 art lesson

✔ Supports observation skills and simple shape drawing

✔ Differentiated for mixed‑ability classes

✔ Includes all images and resources needed

✔ Printable materials suitable for 30–60 minute lessons

Suggested Use Cases

Perfect for KS1 (or elementary) art lessons on famous artists, rainforest topics, animal drawing skills, or as part of a wider creative unit on jungles and habitats. Also works well for cover lessons or cross‑curricular links with geography or science.

Search Tags

KS1 art lesson | Henri Rousseau jungle | rainforest animals drawing | Year 1 art | Year 2 art | outstanding art lesson | famous artists KS1 | jungle topic KS1