After the Dance
Capture the exhilaration and the exhaustion of exercise in a watercolor resist.
1. Play your favorite music, and exercise, move, or dance to it vigorously for about 10 minutes. When you finish, let yourself rest. How do you feel? If movement is impossible, watch an exercise or dance video.
2. On white paper, use Crayola® Crayons to draw yourself as you would feel after you have been exercising or dancing. Would you be relaxed or energized? Draw yourself in a similar position. How would your face look?
3. Cover a table top with recycled newspaper. Use Crayola Watercolors and Brushes to paint colorful areas of your drawing, using a crayon resist technique. Dry flat.
4. Discuss your experiences with classmates. Make a bar graph with crayon that shows students' different responses.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Crayola Washable Paints—Not for use as body/face paint.
- Videotape yourselves while moving. Or use a bright light to make shadows on the wall. What different poses do you see? Trace life-size poses of each other, captured in the midst of a movement.
- Draw a before-and-after series, such as dancing then resting, playing football and relaxing.
- Measure your pulse before, during, and after exercise. Chart it on several different days, while exercising for varying amounts of time. What patterns do you see?
Intergenerational Interviews
Class Color Count
Leaf-Motif Frame
