Ancient Greek Temple Art Projects for Children

One of the most famous Greek Temples, the Parthenon, was built by the Athenians. Greek law prohibited certain types of buildings, so they were constructed as a meeting place for the Greek people. The architecture of Ancient Greek temples provide you with a unique basis for art projects for children. You can complete these activities and teach kids about the history, architecture and culture of Greece.

Create a two-dimensional replica of a Greek temple using wooden craft sticks. Give the child a piece of construction paper, a box of wooden craft sticks, glue and paint. For older children, allow them to research their favorite temple and choose one picture that shows its unique structure. For younger children, show them a photograph from a reference book on Greek temples from your local library. Allow the child to glue the wooden craft sticks flat on the paper to mimic the outer structure of the temple. Use paint that crackles when drying to paint the wooden craft sticks. The cracking technique gives your temple the look of old stone.

Read the book, "Make this Model Greek Temple" by Iain Ashman, with your children. Point out the various parts of the temple and what it looked like using the pop-out illustrations in the book. Give the children construction paper, rulers and a drawing pencil. Request that they draw a replica of their favorite part of the temple, using the book as a guide. On the back of their drawing, students should write a few sentences explaining why they chose that particular section for their art project. Due to its artistic complexity, this project is appropriate for children over the age of 10.

Show students a variety of photographs of Greek temples. Allow kids to select their favorite and give them an old shoe box to use as the base for the art project. Invite students to use a variety of craft materials such as toothpicks, markers or clay to create a miniature version of their favorite temple. Encourage students to include the setting around their temple to complete the diorama. Dioramas should be labeled with the name of their chosen temple.

Use a hardening modeling clay to construct a Greek temple to display in your classroom. To create the look of the modeled stone of the temple, combine gray and white clay together and run it through a pasta machine. This will gently mix the colors together without blending them fully. Construct the temple and allow this to harden. Make a label for the temple using a blank note card to place in front of the display. The age of the children will dictate how detailed the temple will be, and therefore is appropriate for elementary, middle or high school children.