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Water color paints

Starting from Art

These art activities are aimed at primary learners to express their creavity, experiment with different mediums, and connect with the natural world around them. These activities also use supplies that are easily accessible for TOCs with little to no prep.

Map

1

Nature Paint

Students will explore using different artistic mediums through creating their own "paint" using water and the natural environment.

2

Wax-resist Watercolour Leaves

Students will notice details and patterns in small pieces of the environment through leaf-rubbing and wax-resist painting.

3

Land Sculptures

Inspired by Andy Goldsworth's work, students will build land-based sculptures using found natural objects. Students will explore art elements and colour through creative play.

Nature Paint

Curricular Competencies

Art

  • Express feelings, ideas, stories, observations, and experiences through the arts

  • Explore elements, processes, materials, movements, technologies, tools, and techniques of the arts

  • Create artistic works collaboratively and as an individual using ideas inspired by imagination, inquiry, experimentation, and purposeful play

  • Describe and respond to works of art

  • Experience, document and share creative works in a variety of ways

Science

  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world

  • Observe objects and events in familiar contexts

  • Ask questions about familiar objects and events 

  • Experience and interpret the local environment

  • Communicate observations and ideas using oral or written language, drawing, or role-play

Language Arts

  • Exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared understanding

  • Communicate using sentences and most conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation

​

Materials:

  • paint brushes

  • water

  • cups/pallets

  • blank paper

  • clipboards

​

  1. Take students outside to a natural area. Explain space boundaries. 

  2. Ask students to find a spot by themselves or with a partner with a water cup. Using the natural environment, experiment by adding water to different mediums (e.g. crushed leaves, dirt, bark, etc.) to create your own coloured and textured paint.

  3. How can you make a colour darker or lighter when painting? Let students experiment with the amount of water they use (hint: the less water the more pigmented/darker the colour will be).

  4. Let students experiment with mixing mediums: What happens if you mix two mediums together? Does it change the paint colour? 

  5. Let the painting dry in the sun. Share with the class what you created and what medium(s) you used. 

 

Extensions:

  • Do this activity again and try new mediums to make your own paint.

  • Journal (write/draw) about your experience. What does the piece of art mean to you? What other beings are connected to the medium you used to make this art?

Wax-resist Watercolour Leaves

Curricular Competencies

Art

  • Express feelings, ideas, stories, observations, and experiences through the arts

  • Explore elements, processes, materials, movements, technologies, tools, and techniques of the arts

  • Create artistic works collaboratively and as an individual using ideas inspired by imagination, inquiry, experimentation, and purposeful play

  • Describe and respond to works of art

  • Experience, document and share creative works in a variety of ways

Science

  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world

  • Observe objects and events in familiar contexts

  • Ask questions about familiar objects and events 

  • Experience and interpret the local environment

  • Communicate observations and ideas using oral or written language, drawing, or role-play

Math

  • Develop, demonstrate, and apply mathematical understanding through play, inquiry, and problem solving

  • Visualize to explore mathematical concepts

  • Represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms

Materials:

  • leaves

  • white crayons/ oil pastels

  • watercolours

  • paintbrushes

  • water

  • cups/pallets

  • clipboards

​

  1. Take students out to a natural area with lots of fallen leaves. Outline boundaries and ask students to collect 2-3 leaves of varying sizes and shapes. Encourage students to find leaves that have strong veining as they will show up better.

  2. Demonstrate how to do a leaf rubbing (put leaf vein side up on clipboard, place paper on top and rub the crayon sideways over the paper. Invite students to experiment with the pressure: the harder you press the more veins will show up.

  3. Paint over top of the leaf rubbings. The wax will resist the watercolour. Play with mixing different colours and different leaves.

  4. While paintings are drying, return the leaves where they found them

  5. Have a gallery walk around to let others see what you created.

 

Extensions:

  • Write about your creative process, what questions did you ask yourself? What did you learn?

  • Count the veins on the back of the leaves (practice skip counting). Which leaf had the most/least?

Land Sculptures

Curricular Competencies

Art

  • Express feelings, ideas, stories, observations, and experiences through the arts

  • Explore elements, processes, materials, movements, technologies, tools, and techniques of the arts

  • Create artistic works collaboratively and as an individual using ideas inspired by imagination, inquiry, experimentation, and purposeful play

  • Describe and respond to works of art

  • Experience, document and share creative works in a variety of ways

Science

  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world

  • Observe objects and events in familiar contexts

  • Ask questions about familiar objects and events 

  • Experience and interpret the local environment

  • Communicate observations and ideas using oral or written language, drawing, or role-play

Language Arts

  • Exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared understanding

  • Communicate using sentences and most conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation

​

Materials:

  • example photos of Andy Goldsworth's nature art

​

  1. Show students pictures of Andy Goldsworth's art. Point out the different art elements in his art: shapes, sizes, colours, symmetry, texture, and space. 

  2. Bring students outside to a space where there are lots of natural objects for students to build with. Explain boundaries.

  3. Divide the class into groups of 2-4. Allow students to forage for materials and build sculptures (maybe incorporating a natural being such as a tree or rock) in the area for 15-20 minutes.

  4. When students are finished, hold a gallery walk by walking through the natural space, taking time to admire each sculpture.

 

Extensions:

  • Write about your sculpture: describe the art elements. What does the sculpture symbolize/represent?

  • Take a picture of the sculptures and revisit it. Discuss within your group, is there anything else to add/change? What would you do differently next time? 

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