Fun Ways to Paint

NOTE: The lessons on this page were submitted in the early days of IAD when teachers had no scanners or digital cameras to take pictures of student work. Because of this any examples are digitally produced.

 

Submitted by: Jan Dolling, elementary teacher at Para Vista Primary School in Adelaide, South Australia.

Level: 4 years old

 

Materials:

Used roll-on deodorant bottles, Fluorescent Tempera Paint, black Drawing Paper, shoe boxes, toothbrushes.

 

Procedure:

Here are some of the fun ways we have come up with to apply paint to paper!

1. Under-arm Roller painting. Thoroughly wash empty roll-on deodorant bottles and half fill with fluorescent acrylic paint. Snap the roll-on lid back on and let them at it! Looks great on black brenex paper. (This paper is apparently only available in Australia. Perhaps brightly colored, fade-resistant Construction Paper would be a good substitute.)

2. Golf ball Rollers. Cut paper slightly larger than the base of a shoe box and place in the bottom of the box folding up the excess. Dribble 3 or 4 different colours of fluorescent or ordinary paint onto the paper and drop in a golf ball. The children have great fun rolling the ball around and around making tracks. When complete remove the paper and repeat the process.

3. Toothbrush Splatter paint. You will need to make up several square timber frames with screen wire or nylon attached over the top. Paper used must be bigger than the frame. Chooses a template (for example - a rabbit shape for Easter, a leaf shape if talking about plants) and place on the paper with the screen over the top. Using thin mix of paint dip in the toothbrush and scrub onto the wire above the template. This produces a fine splatter of paint. Remove the template and a distinct silhouette of the template is formed.

 

 

Painting to Music

Submitted by: Liz Guntle, art teacher at St. Mary's School, Anderson, Indiana USA.
Level: 3 - 5 years old

 

Materials:

Music, Tempera Paint, large, wide Paper Rolls, Paint Brushes, Paint shirts

 

Procedure:

Kids love to move to music, so this activity is a natural. Try to use music from current kids movies, along with favorite sing-a-longs. The first time we do this, I have the kids practice moving around the table, making pretend marks with the brushes, as they go.

 

Tape the paper to long tables, and set up small tubs of tempera, with a brush for each tub, at various points around the table. Each child stands at a paint tub and will begin painting, as they move around the table, when the music starts. The kids will play a kind of musical chairs, stopping painting when the music stops. They love it!

 

Resources

Possible songs (MP3) to play that are art related:

• Paint Your Picture/The Paintbrush
• My Painting Day
• Painting Flowers
• Painting By Chagall
• If I Were A Painting
• Songs in the Key of Art Volume 1
• Songs in the Key of Art Volume 2
• Songs in the Key of Art Volume 3
• Songs in the Key of Art Volume 4

 

 

"Picture Puzzle"

Submitted by: Carol Coffman, elementary teacher at Merrimack Elementary
of Hampton, VA.
Level: Pre-K - 5

 

Materials:

• Large Tag board cut into puzzle pieces and numbered on the back (To aid with reassembling the puzzle)

• Crayons (include Glitter Crayons and neon, make sure there are plenty of LARGE crayons for those that have difficulty manipulating the smaller crayons.

• A picture puzzle piece

• "Picture Puzzle Piece" [MP3] by Shel Silverstein

Objectives:

1. To demonstrate the ability to produce art based on personal experiences and the imagination.

2. To develop hand-eye coordination through drawing.

Vocabulary:

Landscape

 

Lesson Design:

1. Read Shel Silverstein's "The Missing Piece." Play the mp3 of The Picture Puzzle Piece, also by Silverstein. You could set this to "repeat" in iTunes and play it while they create their assignment. Talk about their experiences with puzzles. "Have you ever held a piece of a puzzle and day-dreamed about what it was a part of?" Pass out Picture puzzle pieces or hold one up. "What could this be a part of? Maybe it's a section of a large mountain with goats eating spring grass. What do you think it may apart of? What place do you want it to be a part of?

2. Brainstorm characteristics of different landscapes.

3. Explain that we are going to make our own puzzle.

4. Pass out a tag board puzzle piece to each student and other materials. Monitor, suggest, brainstorm! Encourage each student to depict a different scene - desert, meadow, etc... visuals of different landscapes help with ideas.

Closure:

Assemble puzzle. Discuss how it looks overall.