Mars Area Elementary School third-graders are bringing their paper mache creations to life as part of a cross-curricular Pittsburgh Zoo Animal Animation project.

In their library/media studies classes, third-graders were asked to select and research an animal that could be found at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, such as a lion, monkey, snake or a red panda. Then, the students recreated the animals using paper mache techniques in their art classes.

In their STEAM classes, the students are learning how to take a picture of their paper mache animals and to remove the background of the image.  Then, using the Octostudio app, the third-graders are adding the images to background photos of each animal’s habitat.

The students will then use their coding skills to enable their animals to interact with different elements of their environments, including predators/prey, food sources, etc. The projects will be featured as part of the 2025 Steel City Showcase, to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, at the school.

For more information, call (724) 625-3161.