The following lesson is inspired by Dr. Seuss' story "The Lorax." With Earth Day and Arbor Day both in April I thought this would be an appropriate story to base a lesson on. Using koosh balls that you can find at any dollar store, children will enjoy the novelty of painting a scene from a familiar and well-loved story.
Vocabulary to Introduce:
printing
recycling
recycling
Materials:
-construction paper (blue, green, and white)
-scissors
-glue stick
-tempera paint (red, yellow, purple, pink, white, black)
-small paper plates for paint
-koosh balls (one for each color if you don't want to have to wash in between colors)
-paint brush
Preparation:
Give each child a sheet of blue paper for their background, a half sheet of green and half sheet of white. Place each paint color on a plate with a koosh but don't forget to include a plate that shares a small amount of black and white for the tree trunks.
For Older Children:
You can make the picture more complicated by using found twigs for tree trunks painted with white and black paint and using small pieces of bright colored yarn.
Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:
