Water Lily

 

Activity:

For this activity, students studied the work of Impressionist painter Claude Monet and explored the textures and colors of his famous water lily paintings. To begin, students taped down a piece of watercolor paper and used a wet-on-wet technique to blend shades of blue, purple, and green, creating a soft, pond-like background. While the paint was still wet, they sprinkled salt across the surface to add texture and visual interest as the paint dried. To build the 3D water lily, students used a green leaf and drew visible veins using blue and green crayons and markers and a white crayon. Next, they created the flower center by coloring one side of a pink paper strip with an orange crayon, cutting slits halfway down the strip, and rolling it into a spiral. They then drew, cut out, and shaped white flower petals to form a bowl-like base for the pink center (attached using hot glue). After assembling the flower, they glued it onto their watercolor pond to complete the scene and signed their names at the bottom corner. 

Extension Activity: 

I would have the students create a nature journal entry or mini art book focused on impressionism and plant life. Students could observe a real pond, garden, or outdoor space, sketch what they see, and try using impressionist techniques - like short brushstrokes, color blending, and light play - with watercolors or pastels. They could also write a short reflective paragraph describing how Monet captured the feeling or movement of nature instead of focusing on exact details. This ties in science through plant observation and habitats, and language arts through descriptive writing.