How Do I
BLAST Early Learning
Art
Books:
Elephants Can Paint Too! by Katya Arnold.
Learn about elephants and how they can paint just like human children in this true story of how Katya Arnold teaches painting to kids in Brooklyn and Asian elephants in Thailand.
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!by Karen Beaumont ; illustrated by David Catrow.
In the rhythm of a familiar folk song, a child cannot resist adding one more dab of paint in surprising places.
Return to the topRhyme:
My Paint Box
My paint box holds some pretty paints
Which color is my favorite?
It starts with /r/ and ends with /ed/
Red — is my favorite.
Continue with different colors.
Song:
The Brush in Your Hand
(tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)
The brush in your hand goes up and down
Up and down, up and down
The brush in your hand goes up and down
Up and down
The brush in your hand goes dot, dot, swish…
Vocabulary Word:
trunk : n. an elephant’s nose
“Not only can a trunk pick things up, it can smell, snore, trumpet, purr, drink, and spray.”
(taken from Elephants Can Paint Too! by Katya Arnold)
Activities:
Math: Measurement
Cornstarch Finger Paint
What You Need:
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups cold water
Food coloring
Soap flakes
One-half cup cornstarch
What You Do: Mix the sugar & cornstarch over low heat. Add water and stir until mixture is thick. Remove from heat. Next divide the paint into several different
containers. Add a few drops of food
coloring and a pinch or two of soap flakes to each container. Stir well and let cool.
Store this in an airtight container.
Art: Paint like the Elephants
Elephants use their tusks to hold the paintbrush. Lay a tarp out on the floor and hang a large piece of butcher paper at the children’s eye level on the wall. Thoroughly clean the handle of paint brushes, and let the kids hold the
paintbrush in their teeth to paint. Be sure to use long, thin, lightweight
paintbrushes and non-toxic paint to make this easier and safer for the
students.
Another idea is to put the paper lower on the wall and let the kids hold the
paintbrush in their toes and paint on the butcher paper.
Science: Solids and Liquids
Glue Drop
Mix glue with tempera paint or food coloring. Drip on waxed paper with tongue depressors. Let dry; then peel glue drops off of waxed paper. Glue the drops on paper and color and paint around them.
Literature:
David's Drawings story and pictures by Cathryn Falwell
A shy African American boy makes friends with his classmates by drawing a picture of a tree.
The Big Messy Art Bookby MaryAnn F. Kohl; illustrations, Kathryn Davis
This illustrated book opens the door for children to experience art on a grander scale. They can create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece with Living Pendulum Art as they swing from a rope and paint, paint a handing ball while it moves, and more. 110 line drawings.
I Spy Shapes in Artdevised & selected by Lucy Micklethwait
Presents objects with the shape of a heart, a triangle, a square and other shapes through paintings by such artists as Magritte, Escher, and Matisse.
