Iguanas live in the trees of the rain forests, usually near a body of water, and feast on fruit, leaves and flowers. Re-create the natural rain-forest habitat of the iguana using an empty shoebox, glue, scissors, magazine photos, construction paper, paint or markers and collected leaves and branches. Turn an empty shoebox horizontally on its side. Have children draw or paint images of trees and water or use images from magazines. Arrange and glue images in the shoebox along with the leaves and branches for a 3-D effect. Have students add their own drawing of an iguana as the last step.
A mobile is an interesting way to help students remember all the information they learned about iguanas. Review various facts related to iguanas, such as the food they eat, what countries they live in, size and life-span. Have students create a mobile using a wire hanger, tape, glue, construction paper, markers and string or yarn. Cut the construction paper into squares. Each fact requires two pieces of construction paper. Instruct each student to write a title on one square and draw a picture related to the title on the other. For example, write "food" on one square and draw pictures of flowers, leaves and fruit on the other. Tape the yarn to the back of one square and then glue the squares together. Tie to the wire hanger.
Making a 3-D paper iguana requires more time and effort, and younger children need more assistance with this project. Gather the following materials: newspaper, water, paint brush, white craft glue, masking tape and green, white, yellow and black tissue paper. Using crumbled newspaper, form the body of the iguana starting with the middle, then add the head, tail and legs. Wrap the newspaper with masking tape to hold the pieces together. Mix equal parts glue and water. Rip the tissue paper into manageable pieces and place on the body of the iguana. With a paintbrush, paint the glue mixture on top of the tissue paper. Continue along the entire body, adding multiple layers of color if desired.
Add a textured look to a simple watercolor painting of an iguana using table salt. For this project, you will need heavy watercolor paper, watercolors, paintbrush, table salt and water. Have each child draw an outline of an iguana on his paper. Paint the iguana's body using green and yellow watercolors. Sprinkle the wet paint with salt. After the paint dries, brush off the salt. The result mimics the textured skin of a real iguana.