Trilobite Masks
(continued)
6. Using crayons or markers, draw eyes and decorations on the plate. You
can use the trilobite head shape diagrams for suggestions. The mask will fit better if you
draw on the back of the plate. If you draw on the front of the plate, the rim of the plate
will stick out away from your face.
7. Most trilobites had eyes. They are famous for being one of the first
animals to develop complex eyes. To draw typical arthropod "bug eyes" make a
large circle, and then make a tic-tac-toe or criss-cross patttern within the circle as
shown in the diagram. Some trilobites had eyes that looked like many smaller circles in a
larger circle, and you can draw these if you prefer. Students don't have to draw the
trilobite eyes where the eye holes are cut out of their mask. They should try to match the
position from one of the examples, or use their own imagination.
8. Many trilobites had spines and bumps sticking out from their heads for
protection (see Heads with spines, bumps, and other attachments). Some had antennae like
crabs, shrimps, and lobsters that live in the sea today. Students can cut spines or
antennae out of the half of the plate they cut away when they made their mask, or can use
additional cardboard, pipe cleaners, or other materials as shown in the diagram.
9. When you're finished decorating your mask, punch two holes in the side of
the mask, or make a small cut with the end of a pair of scissors, and guide a piece of
elastic string through the holes. If you are using string made specifically for masks, it
will have a small metal bar that secures the string once it has passed through the hole.
If you are using a roll of elastic string, cut lengths appropriate for the student's head
size. Guide the string through the hole, and tape the string to the plate by wrapping a
piece of tape around the string, front and back.
Three little trilobites
Trilobite masks made by kids at
Lexington Children's Museum
For other trilobite activities see:
