Replicas of vehicles help the students identify different types of transportation. Pictures of vehicles from a book or toy models of vehicles provide a reference for creating a realistic replica. Each child or group of children should recreate a different vehicle so you end up with a variety of homemade vehicles. The kids can present their vehicle replicas along with some facts about the vehicle. Empty boxes of various sizes can be glued or taped together to create a truck, boat, car, airplane or other vehicles. Other recyclable objects like toilet paper tubes, foil, bottle caps and paper plates are other material that can be used for the details on the vehicles. The kids cover the boxes with construction paper or paint to make it resemble the selected vehicle.
The license plates displayed on vehicles can be used to help differentiate the vehicles. This form of identification creates the basis for an educational art project. Start with a research project to determine how license plate numbers are assigned in your state. Use old license plates to give kids a visual reference for your state's license plates. The kids can make rubbings of them by placing a piece of paper over the license plates. They turn a crayon on its side and rub gently to make the raised numbers and letters appear on the paper.
A mural is a group art project that works well for the transportation theme. The kids apply what they learn about vehicles and how they are used to create the large display picture. Start by hanging a large sheet of paper, on which the kids will draw different types of transportation. They should also include roads, airports, garages and similar features that relate to transportation to show how the vehicles work. The display allows the kids to demonstrate what they know about vehicles by placing them in the proper setting. Start by having the kids do pencil drawings to lay out of the mural. Paint or markers can be used to add in the coloring and detail.
This activity works well for the preschool and elementary level. It reinforces the recognition of the shapes used, making it a useful project for preschool and primary grades. The kids also get practice in recreating a vehicle, which demonstrates that they understand what each vehicle looks like. Various sizes of shapes should be cut from colorful construction paper to create the parts of the vehicle. The kids use the shapes to construct a picture of a vehicle. For example, a child might create a semi truck with a long rectangle for the trailer, a square for the cab and circles for the wheels. The kids can then add extra details with markers or crayons. In the semi truck example, the child might make up the name of a trucking company and write it on the side.