Fluttering Focus

crayola supplies

Colored Pencils
Washable Watercolors
Watercolor Brushes with Plastic Handle
Giant Marker and Watercolor Pad

household supplies

recycled newspaper
paper towels
container(s) of water

Why?

Look at a flower garden from the butterfly's perspective.

Steps

1. Study how artists portray flowers and gardens, such as Georgia O'Keeffe's exaggerated scale and boldly colored floral shapes.
2. Imagine what a butterfly sees when flying around a dense, magnificent garden or rain forest. Walk through a flower garden and take notes about what you see. Examine leaf and flower details with a magnifying glass. Draw flowers with details using Crayola® Colored Pencils.
3. Cover a work surface with newspaper. Fill in any background areas using Crayola Washable Watercolors and Brushes.
4. Complete the drawing with the pencil techniques that best convey a butterfly's perspective of the garden.

adaptations

Find out what colors butterflies actually see. Draw two flower gardens-the scene that humans see and what butterflies see.

Collect poetry about flowers. Find out the traditional meanings of various flowers.

Grow pots of flowers or other plants. What care do they need to thrive?

Younger children and special needs students may benefit from short practice sessions experimenting with watercolor pencil techniques before participating in this activity. Children might cut out their favorite flowers and attach them to construction paper using Crayola Washable Glue Sticks.

benefits

Students observe, study, and sketch flower details.

Students create watercolor pencil renderings of a flower garden from a butterfly's perspective using various watercolor pencil techniques.

grades

Grades 1 to 3
Grades 4 to 6
Special Needs

subjects

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.