Its Spring Watercolor Poetry IDEAS ORIGINATED BY KATHY

It’s Spring! Watercolor & Poetry IDEAS ORIGINATED BY KATHY BARBRO IN ART PROJECTS FOR KIDS & POETRY BY MRS. PRESTON ADAPTED BY KELLY S. ROTTER

Students first “draw” the flowers with their paint brushes, and then trace the edges afterward. My other projects almost always begin with traced drawings so this backwards approach gave the students a different perspective and different results. MATERIALS • Multimedia or watercolor paper • Liquid watercolor paint • Paper towels • Black marker DIRECTIONS 1. Students use liquid watercolor paint to paint three flower tops and then a few stems and leaves below. 2. Students gently apply a paper towel on top to absorb any extra paint. This sometimes lightened the image, but it still looked pretty. 3. Each student took a fat black Sharpie and traced the edges of their flowers. I encouraged them to add extra details, such as folds in the flower leaves, and little bugs or insects on the side. This can be a pretty and quick project, if you need one. My experience was that most kids finished it in a half hour at most.

P O E T R Y

WATERCOLOR • Watercolor is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-based solution. Watercolor refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork.

Learning Objectives Art concepts: • Demonstrate the use of watercolor • Demonstrate an understanding of elements and principles of design: color, value and contrast • Explore connections between the various disciplines of language arts and the visual arts • Explore the factual information in a visual way to suit different learning styles

National Core Art Standards • Creating: VA: Cr 1. 2 Investigate, Plan, Make: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work • Presenting: VA: Pr 6. 1 Analyze: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. • Responding: VARe. 8. 1 Perceive: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work • Connecting: VACn 10. 1 Interpret: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

Nevada Art Standards VA: 1. 0 Knowledge 1. 3. 3; Students know and apply visual arts media, techniques, and processes. VA: 3. 0 Content 3. 3. 2 Students choose, apply, and evaluate a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas. VA: 5. 0 Interpretation 5. 3. 3 Students analyze and assess characteristics, merits, and meaning in their own work and the work of others.