Flurry of Fall Foliage

crayola supplies

Washable Watercolors
So Big® Brush
Watercolor Brushes with Plastic Handle
Pointed Tip Scissors
Giant Marker and Watercolor Pad

household supplies

recycled newspaper
paper towels
plastic drinking straws

Why?

Poetry, stories, warm colors and wet-on-wet watercolors leave you ready for fall.

Steps

1. Observe the art elements of color and line in autumn leaves, tree branches, and landscapes.
2. With Crayola® Scissors, cut a large, rectangular sheet of watercolor paper in half lengthwise.
3. Cover the art area with newspaper. Place a thin line of black Crayola Watercolor paint about 1/2 inch (2 cm) from the bottom of the paper. With a straw, blow the paint upward to create tree trunks and branch patterns. Air-dry the paint.
4. Wet the paper above the black paint with a Crayola So Big Brush or a sponge and clear water. With Crayola Watercolor Brushes, brush a light wash of Watercolors across the background to create a fall sky.
5. Press brushes filled with warm colors along the branches to create leaf clumps and fall foliage. Air-dry the painting.

adaptations

Write poetry, music, or a story to further convey the artwork's mood. Find some of Robert Frost's work at http://frost.freehosting.net/poems.htm. Listen to Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons."

Mat the art, and make tags with artists' names, dates, and work titles, for display.

Compare and contrast landscape colors in different seasons, at various times of the day, and in different weather conditions. How does natural light affect color qualities? What shadows do you see? Study the work of Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky and other artists to see how they portrayed landscapes. This lesson plan was adapted from ideas submitted by Janet Chasteen of Columbus, Indiana, for the 50 States - 50 Weeks series.

benefits

Students recognize warm colors in fall foliage, observe line in tree trunks and branches, and study color in fall landscapes.

Children read poetry and stories about nature, such as Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken."

Students use wet-on-wet watercolor techniques to depict a fall landscape, representing lines and colors found in nature. Supervision is essential to assure that children carefully blow India ink.

grades

Grades 4 to 6
Grades 7 to 12

subjects

Language Arts
Science
Visual Arts

time

30 to 60 minutes
Multiple Sessions

curriculum standards links

US: Research U.S. Standards
UK: Research UK Standards
Canada: Research Canada Standards

safety guidelines

Crayola Washable Paints—Not for use as body/face paint.

Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.