Undersea Adventure

Use your imagination as diving gear as you swim down deep to the ocean floor.

• 1.

  Watch videos of underwater explorations, look at photographs and other artwork such as <i>Swimmy</i>, and gather information about the ocean's topography and life. Introduce vocabulary words (coral, anemone, tides).

• 2.

  Using imagination as diving gear, dive to the ocean floor. Glide into undersea caves, through coral reefs, ocean canyons, and over mountain ranges. What forms of life are there? What does the bottom of the sea look like?

• 3.

  Cover the work area with recycled newspaper. Use scrap paper to try various watercolor techniques, including these.<br><li><i><b>Sponge painting.</i></b> Dampen the paper with a clean sponge. Use other sponges to apply Crayola® Washable Watercolors. Tip the paper to blend and mix colors.<li><i><b>Crystal patterns.</i></b> After applying watercolors with Crayola Paint Brushes, sprinkle salt on the wet paper. Watch crystal-like patterns form. When dry, brush off dried salt.<li><i><b>Spatter paint.</i></b> To create wispy, irregular dot patterns, scrape a small piece of stiff cardboard over a stiff, paint-laden brush. Or use a small piece of screen with the edges taped for safety.<li><i><b>Straw painting.</i></b> Blow a large dot of thinned watercolor with a straw held at a low angle to create irregular, spidery designs. Try holding the straw at different angles to achieve other effects.

• 4.

  On a large piece of watercolor paper, use the selected watercolor techniques to add color and texture in creating a sea environment. For details, use a fine brush tip. Air-dry.

• 5.

  For additional textures, use Crayola Scissors to cut (or tear) shapes from the dry experimental papers and glue them to the dry background with Crayola Glue Sticks.

• 6.

  Add details with Crayola Fine Line Markers.

Benefits

• Children research and demonstrate their knowledge of information about life and topography on the ocean floor.
• Students experiment with and choose watercolor techniques to portray a vivid undersea setting using colors, textures, and shapes.

Adaptations

• Visit aquariums and Web sites with undersea environments so children form a clear picture of life in the ocean.
• Younger children, or those with motor challenges, may be more successful if they work with partners, especially for spatter painting. Make sure children blow (not suck) with the straws.
• Ask children to label each form in their undersea creation. Use this completed artwork to assess children's knowledge about animal and plant life, as well as the topography of the ocean floor.