Sunken Treasures

crayola supplies

Crayons
Markers
Washable Watercolors
Watercolor Brushes with Plastic Handle
Model Magic®
No-Run School Glue

household supplies

recycled newspaper
paper towels
oak tag or poster board
container(s) of water

Why?

Explore the mysteries of the bottom of the sea, depicting ocean animals, plants, shipwrecks, and underwater explorers in a 3-D scene.

Steps

1. Many kinds of treasures are found in the world's oceans. These oceans are so difficult to explore, however, that many oceanographers believe scientists know more about Mars than the environments below the earth's ocean surface. Underwater explorations have a long history. In 1620, Cornelius Drebell sailed his submarine, a rowboat covered with leather, in the river Thames. Early scientists dragged buckets on ropes across the ocean floor, scooping up sediment, minerals, deep-sea fish, and plants-natural treasures of the sea. Select an ocean that interests you. What can you find out about organisms that live in one area of that ocean?
2. Ships and their cargo have been lost in the world's oceans for centuries. Valuables such as gold and jewels, as well as personal and historic items, are among the sunken treasures of the sea.
3. In 1943, explorer Jacques Cousteau and engineer Emile Gagnan invented SCUBA diving gear, which greatly improved underwater exploration. SCUBA stands for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. It enables divers to go deeper, move more freely, and stay under water longer. Research how technology is used today to uncover natural and lost man-made treasures.
4. On poster board or oak tag, draw an underwater seascape with Crayola® Crayons. Be sure to include all three ocean environments--the surface, open ocean, and ocean floor. Show the ocean's treasures, both natural and manufactured.
5. Cover your work area with newspaper. To create an underwater effect for your art, paint over your crayon drawing with Crayola Washable Watercolors and Crayola Watercolor Brushes. This technique is called crayon resist, because the paint slides off the waxy crayon. The crayon colors shine on the page. Dry.
6. Use Crayola Model Magic to sculpt ocean creatures and vegetation. Dry.
7. Color the sculpted creatures with Crayola Washable Markers. Attach them to your scene with Crayola School Glue. Dry.

adaptations

Visit an aquarium or oceanographic facility to learn first-hand about life and treasures under the sea. Choose one aspect of ocean treasures and delve further into knowledge about it.

Invite a skilled SCUBA diver to demonstrate diving techniques and safety.

In a tub of water, submerge several articles made of metal, paper, wood, and plastic. Periodically return to these objects to study how they are affected.

benefits

Students research ocean organisms including animals and plants.

Children discover information about historic shipwrecks, recovery techniques, and methods of underwater exploration.

Students represent their findings in a large 3-dimensional underwater scene.

grades

Grades 1 to 3
Grades 4 to 6

subjects

Science
Social Studies
Visual Arts

time

Multiple Sessions

curriculum standards links

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

safety guidelines

Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—

Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

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