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Phoebe and Her Unicorn: A Unicorn of a Friend Celebration
Phoebe and Marigold celebrate their 10th anniversary and you can too! Grab one of your besties for a friendship art project making mini unicorns for each other. They’re small enough to take anywhere as a reminder of your one-of-a-kind, unicorn-like friend.
Create Your Own Cartoon Strip with Phoebe and Her Unicorn
Phoebe and Her Unicorn is a beloved and bestselling series about finding friendship in the most unlikely places. Middle-grade readers will follow Phoebe, a somewhat awkward girl, as she forges a powerful bond with a vainglorious unicorn who shows her just how special she really is (after getting over the whole hit-in-the-face-with-a-rock thing, that is). This free printable create-a-comic activity template opens up a world of artistic possibility for middle-graders. They can create their own magical best friend and become the inventors of their own fantastical tale of friendship. As they work on this activity, encourage students to think critically about what makes their real-life friendships special.
Making friends has never been modeled so beautifully as it is in Dana Simpson’s magical series. After reading all about Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, readers can create their own magical BFFs in the very same illustrated comic style. Readers will join Phoebe and Marigold in discovering each other’s awesomeness, coming to appreciate their own as a result. Download this free printable create-a-comic activity and guide your students through imagining, drawing, and writing their own version of a Phoebe and Her Unicorn cartoon strip. This activity is a great creative exercise, but it also instills a deeper understanding of the importance of friendship, no matter what differences you may have.
How to Draw Phoebe and Friends – Full Guide
Phoebe and Her Unicorn is the bestselling series from author and illustrator Dana Simpson. The adventures of awkward adolescent, Phoebe, and her mystical, unicorn BFF, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, will endlessly entertain middle-grade readers. Though they have a few misadventures along the way, each zany situation brings the pair closer together. With this free printable drawing template, students have the chance to bring the book’s characters to life. But, that’s not all. This template also helps young fans recreate Dana’s cool comic style so they can dream up their very own gang of magical friends.
After Phoebe accidentally hits a unicorn in the face with a rock, an unlikely but powerful friendship begins. Middle-graders will join the dynamic duo as they meet more mythical pals and learn more about what makes the other special. Once students finish the book, have them follow the simple template to draw Phoebe and Marigold (and several other fun characters) in all their cartoon glory. Be sure to positively acknowledge each student’s innovation! When they’re done, give them time to share their drawings with the rest of the class. Writing and illustration are both fantastic creative outlets, and this free printable drawing template is also a great opportunity to showcase patience and perseverance to blossoming middle-grade artists. After mastering the characters in the book, encourage them to branch out creatively and come up with drawings and stories of their own using the free printable create-your-own-cartoon-strip activity also on AMP Kids.
Dana Simpson’s Cartooning Guide
Like all creative projects, comics can be made in any number of ways! Dana Simpson, creator of the beloved Phoebe and Her Unicorn series, shares her process in this free printable cartooning guide. Phoebe and Marigold, her unicorn best friend, live in a colorful cartoon world where anything is possible (just as long as it’s fun). Pair this downloadable activity with any book in the series for an afternoon of productive and creative brainstorming.
Using this free printable cartooning guide will help instill a love of art and writing in all your students. It might even inspire a future career for budding artists! Dana gives middle-graders an inside look on the whole comic-creation process. From her initial brainstorming, to conversations with her editor, to the final stages of adding color, readers will learn exactly how such a cool series came to be. After reading about the shenanigans Dana Simpson comes up with for Phoebe and Marigold, readers will be excited to come up with their versions. Remind them that there is no one way to make art, and encourage them to use this guide as just that––a starting point for their own unique stories.
Unicorn Theater Puppet Show Guide
Middle-grade readers will make fast friends with Phoebe and her unicorn-BFF, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. The bestselling Phoebe and Her Unicorn series celebrations friendship in the most unlikely of places and pairings. As Phoebe and Marigold learn more about each other, it only deepens the magical bond of friendship between them. Now, with this free puppet show theater guide, you can bring the magic of Unicorn Theater to your classroom or library!
Using this guide (and whatever supplies you have available), you can create your own sock puppet show starring Marigold and her sister, Florence. Have students bring old socks from home––a quick lesson in recycling, anyone? Then, with your help, they can bring the fantastical protagonists to life. Encourage them to get artistic; see how they design their stages and assure them that creativity is key. Phoebe and Marigold definitely don’t hesitate to express themselves, and your students shouldn’t, either! Our free puppet show theater is the foundation of this activity, but letting middle-graders branch out is a surefire way to have fun.
But if they need more inspiration, don’t worry. We have an incredibly fun and entertaining example of our own. Show your students before you begin this craft, and then let their imaginations run wild!
How to Draw Expressions
Dana Simpson, author of the widely-celebrated Phoebe and Her Unicorn series, has provided an easy-to-follow guide on how to draw expressions. Middle-grade students will quickly be able to relate to Phoebe’s unlikely friendship with a mythical creature. After all, what childhood friendship DOESN’T feel a little magical? After they’ve read a few books and gone on a few adventures with Phoebe and Marigold, you can introduce them to the behind-the-scenes methods of drawing and creating comics.
Communicating emotions with facial expressions is something everyone learns from a young age. However, it’s a totally different story to try and draw them. Luckily, our how to draw expressions guide walks readers through it step-by-step. Not only is this a fun way to get creative, it’s also the perfect opportunity to chat with your students about how we communicate our feelings to others. Phoebe can tell when Marigold is sad when she sees her ears drooping. Marigold knows Phoebe is surprised when her eyes get reeeeally wide. It’s important for your students to be able to recognize those feelings in themselves and in others, so this activity can be the perfect introduction into that conversation. Plus, who wouldn’t love the chance to draw a laughing unicorn?!
How to Draw Phoebe
Phoebe and Her Unicorn is a beautifully-illustrated series about friendship. (Even if that friendship is between a slightly awkward girl and a mildly vain unicorn.) Middle-grade readers will find something to love in each and every book, and will become huge fans of Phoebe and Marigold in no time. In fact, they’ll likely become big enough fans that they’ll jump at the chance to recreate their favorite characters. Luckily, this free character drawing guide walks them through it! With simple instructions from the creator, Dana Simpson, herself, Phoebe fans can bring her to life themselves.
All you need are some pencils and paper, and you can let your students go crazy with artistic flair. Phoebe and Marigold would appreciate a unique approach to art, trust us. Once they’ve mastered Phoebe, encourage them to draw other characters from the book. We have a few guides to help with those endeavors. Take a look at Create Your Own Cartoon, How to Draw Phoebe and Friends, and even Dana Simpson’s Cartooning Guide. No matter which creative project you choose to do with your students, they’re guaranteed to have a great time! Starting with this free character drawing guide is the perfect way to get students excited about reading and art.
How to Draw Marigold
Phoebe and Her Unicorn is, above all else, a series about friendship. Phoebe, a socially awkward girl, and Marigold, a slightly stuck-up unicorn, overcome the odds to become BFFs. Middle-grade readers will relate to the deep bond of friendship between the two, and will love reading about their zany antics. Once their love for the series has been established, invite students to bring Marigold to life with their own hands! By following the six simple steps of this free unicorn drawing guide, Marigold doppelgängers will be filling your classroom in no time.
While you’re at it, encourage students to put their own spin on their mythical pals. You might see green unicorns, horns on the back instead of the head, or even some sparkly wings! Dana Simpson’s free unicorn drawing guide will get students started, but it’s even more fun to see what kind of flair they add to their creations. After their drawings are complete, instruct the artists to give their unicorns names, back stories, and a human-BFF of their own. This will turn into a whole lesson on creative writing before you can say “Marigold Heavenly Nostrils!” And, if your middle-graders want to keep the drawing fun going, we have even more Phoebe and Her Unicorn activities. For starters, this free unicorn drawing guide goes great with our How to Draw Phoebe activity.
How to Make an Origami Horse
Phoebe and Her Unicorn is the bestselling brain child of Dana Simpson. Focusing on Phoebe, an awkward young girl, and Marigold, her magical unicorn-BFF, each book in the delightful series showcases the importance of fun and friendship. We all wish we could befriend a mythical creature, but creating a pet pal from scratch is the next best thing! Middle-graders will love the chance to flex their crafting skills while making their way through all the books in the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series. With this free origami horse guide, readers can make Marigold’s distant relative come to life with paper.
Complete with illustrations and seven easy steps to follow, learning origami has never been more achievable. You can even incorporate a brief lesson on the cultural history of the art form. You can nurture an appreciation of cultural differences while having a blast. After all, Phoebe and Marigold are two very different personalities who still manage to be close as can be. They’re always having the silliest time together, and each new book in the series presents another set of comedic situations. However you use this free origami horse guide, it presents an easy, fun opportunity for artistic expression AND education.
Recipe for Unicorn Poop Cookies
Need a delicious reading snack? Look no further! With this free unicorn cookie recipe, you and your middle-graders can transform boring baked goods into colorful globs of tasty unicorn poop. Phoebe and Her Unicorn isn’t just for story time; now Phoebe and Marigold are breaking into the kitchen. Although Marigold is far too polite to say the word “poop,” she knows better than to turn her horn up at this delicacy. Using just four easy-to-find ingredients, fans of Phoebe and Her Unicorn can throw together piles of glittery, shiny, colorful poo.
Encourage your students to have a degree of independence as they bake. Let them mix the ingredients, add the food coloring, and choose their own sprinkles. They’ll have fun and learn some kitchen basics at the same time. Although they’re usually busy with other hilarious antics, Phoebe and Marigold would bake hundreds of these cookies if they had time. This free unicorn cookie recipe makes it too easy! Break out the aprons and get ready for a gross, glittery, good time.
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