Construction Paper Watermelon Self-Portrait

Watermelon self-portraits are a fairly common project in elementary school. In this version, first graders used crayons and paint to create their portraits. Here, second and third graders used a black marker and paint, with a focus on layering. These first graders used watercolor crayons and glued their completed work to a tablecloth background. They're all adorable.

We used to have a construction paper version of a watermelon self-portrait on Fun Family Crafts (I'm the Editor) that was fairly popular. Unfortunately, the teacher who submitted her project to FFC took down her blog, so we no longer have a linked tutorial. When that happens with a popular craft, I try to find another similar tutorial to replace it. If I can't, I either delete the craft entirely or add it to a list of projects for one of us to remake. In this case, I knew I could whip up my own construction paper self-portrait in no time. Well, sort of. Instead of doing a self-portrait, I actually styled it like a Peanuts character. Affiliate links below.

Construction Paper Watermelon Self-Portrait

Materials:

• assorted construction paper (for background, shirt, hair, and watermelon)
• multicultural construction paper (for skin)
• scissors
• glue
• black pen

Steps:

Make the watermelon by cutting a semicircle from dark pink or red construction paper, keeping one of the straight edges of the construction paper intact. Glue the semicircle top of a piece of white construction paper, with the straight edges lined up. Cut just outside of the edge of the red/pink semicircle. Glue this to a piece of green construction paper, again lining up the straight edge. Cut just outside the white semicircle. Cut out a 'bite mark' from the three layers, then use a black pen to draw seeds randomly on the watermelon. 

Select construction paper that matches your skin tone. Place your hand along one of the straight edges so that half of your palm and four fingers are on the construction paper. Trace, then repeat the same steps with the other hand. Cut out both hands and set them aside. From the remaining construction paper, cut out a semicircle for your face. Draw eyes and a nose. 

Choose construction paper that best matches your hair and cut it into the style you want. If you want, add hair accessories or head coverings. (I cut two black barrettes.)

Select a piece of construction paper for the background and a second color for the shirt. Round off the corners of the shirt to make your shoulders, then glue it to the bottom of the background paper. Position the face and hair, then glue them in place. 

Glue the watermelon in place, then add the hands. 

There are so many ways to personalize this project, which is what makes it such a great classroom activity. It's fun to see the variety across a group of kids.