Grade 6 Art And Craft Design, Mixed Media And Technology – Simple Animation:Bouncing Ball And Walking Stick Figure Notes

Art & Craft — Design, Mixed Media and Technology

Subtopic: Simple Animation — Bouncing Ball and Walking Stick Figure (Age 11, Kenya)

In this lesson you will learn two simple animations: a bouncing ball and a walking stick figure. You will try both a quick digital example (using SVG animation) and a hands-on stop-motion activity using paper and a phone camera. These activities combine design, mixed media and basic technology.

Learning outcomes

• Explain what animation is (a series of images that change quickly to make movement).
• Create a simple digital animation (bouncing ball, walking stick figure).
• Make a stop-motion animation using paper cutouts and a phone camera.
• Use safe tools and tidy up after art work.

Materials (use local items)

• Plain paper, card or old cereal box (for cutouts)
• Scissors, glue, sticky tape
• Pencils, black marker, crayons or colour pens
• Straw or pencil for a small stand (optional)
• A smartphone or tablet camera (for stop-motion)
• Quiet table with good daylight

Quick digital examples (live visuals)

Bouncing ball (digital SVG animation):

Walking stick figure (digital SVG animation):

How these animations work (simple explanation)

• Bouncing ball: the circle moves up and down and across quickly. A shadow grows and shrinks to make it look real.
• Walking figure: legs and arms swing back and forth. When arms swing the opposite way to the legs, it looks like walking.
• Digital SVG uses small changes many times per second — our eyes see smooth movement.

Hands-on activity 1 — Stop-motion bouncing ball (30–40 minutes)

1. Draw and cut a small circle from coloured paper. Make a simple ground line on paper (draw one clean line).
2. Place the paper on a flat table near a window for steady light.
3. Fix your phone on a stand or stack of books to keep it still. Open the camera in photo mode.
4. Start with the ball high (near top of paper). Take a photo. Move the ball slightly down (a small step) and take another photo.
5. Keep repeating until the ball is on the ground line. Then take a few photos of the ball bouncing back up in smaller steps.
6. Play the photos quickly as a slideshow (or use a simple stop-motion app). You will see the ball bounce.

Hands-on activity 2 — Stop-motion walking stick figure (40–60 minutes)

1. Draw a stick figure on card or paper and cut out the body, arms and legs as separate pieces. Use small pieces of tape or paper fasteners so legs can move.
2. Place the figure on a flat background (a sheet of coloured paper). Fix the camera so it does not move.
3. Start with one leg forward and the other back. Take one photo. Move the legs a little (swap positions a bit) and take another photo.
4. Also move the arms so they swing opposite to the legs. Repeat many small movements to make a walking cycle (about 8–12 photos for one cycle).
5. Play quickly as a slideshow or in a stop-motion app to watch your figure walk.

Design and creativity tips

• Try different sizes or colours for the ball — a football or a bright rubber ball look fun.
• Give your stick figure a hat or bag so it tells a story (walking to school!).
• Use recycled card and old boxes for backgrounds — mixed media means mixing paper, paint and small objects.

Safety and good practice

• Ask for help with scissors and sharp tools.
• Work on a clean table and put glue caps back on.
• Keep the phone on a stable surface — do not hold it while taking stop-motion photos.

Simple assessment (questions for class or home)

1. What makes a bouncing ball look real? (Hint: shadow, height, speed)
2. Why do arms move the opposite way to the legs when we walk?
3. Explain one way you used recycled materials in your animation.
4. Can you change the speed of your stop-motion? What happens if you use more photos or fewer photos?

Teacher note: Encourage students to plan a short storyboard (3–6 drawings) before they start. Let them work in small groups, share ideas, and present short animations to the class.

Copyright: classroom use. Adapt activities to available materials and school rules in Kenya.