Incorporating Science and Art with John James Audubon

As an Art Masterpiece volunteer I often coordinate with teachers - projects that can integrate Common Core standards. This past month, students in Miss Rivas' 4th grade completed their animal research in science. 

Having featured John James Audubon before; I knew it would compliment what they had learned in class. Audubon traveled the thirteen colonies and beyond and set out to paint birds and animals in their natural environment.

I am amazed with how some kids totally get the essence of an artist's work.

Raven by J. Castro

Using images download from the Internet. Students sketched and then used oil pastels to create their artwork.

Cheetah by A. Vecscy

Lemon Shark by Elijiah

Giraffe by E. Boddack

The students' artwork was the final element in their science report. I hope they got an A! 

John James Audubon was a self-taught American ornithologist, naturalist, hunter, and painter. He painted, cataloged, and described the birds and mammals of North America. His work helped discover several new species of birds, six of them are now extinct.

Painting Tips for Pre-K and Kindergarten

Teaching 3, 4, and 5 year old children to paint can challenging. However, when you see their eyes light up with discovery it is wonderful and can be fun for both of you.

Start off by using a good brush. One that has a wider handle with smooth bristles. Cheap, stiff brushes are not nearly as good for spreading paint.

Demonstrate how to use big, sweeping arm movements for broad paint strokes (petting a cat is a good analogy) and then small movements for small strokes. Let the children experiment with both.

For little kids, try not to use small watercolor pan paints that come in the trays. Watercolor sets with larger color wells are best at this age.

Tempera cakes provide brilliant color in a convenient package.

Try not fuss about paint colors mixing together in the palettes. It's okay if it gets a bit messy.  By the end of kindergarten and first grade you  will be able to tell them about paint manners.

Teach them about primary and secondary colors by mixing your own paint.

• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of flour (for gluten free version use Cup4Cup)
• 1 cup of salt
• food coloring

Give Pre-K students lots of opportunity to free-paint. Keep instruction and direction to a minimum. Always react to paintings in neutral and enthusiastic manner :-).

With a few cheap and simple materials, students can begin to express themselves in color!

What tips and tricks do you have for working with Pre-K and kindergartners?