Project: "Nuts to You"
Squirrels collecting nuts in the fall.

Grade: 1st Grade / 4th Grade
Materials:
Stencils of Fall leaves-
Maple, Red Oak, Liquid Amber
Stencils of squirrels
Pressed Fall leaves
Paper towel blotters
Water buckets
Water color brushes
Water color Paper (nicer results)
Pencils and erasers
Optional-masking tape
Drawing boards
Books that can be used for reference:
Sky Tree
Autumn Leaves
"Nuts to You" by Lois Elchert

Activity / Art Project:

Prep: Outline the squirrel sections onto the water-colored paper and Make sure the sections all go in the right direction. I made this mistake before .

1. Look at the book Autumn Leaves. Notice the different types of leaves and colors.
2. Outline leaves 3-5 per 12x18 inch paper. Outline LIGHTLY. Talk about the veins in the leaves and what they are for. Draw just a few of these.
3. Talk about warm and cool colors, what they are using in the color wheel.
4. Students can paint in with Warm colors -- the leaf. Have the students first paint the leaf with water. Then while still wet, drop yellow, orange and red colors. Allow to blend together. When dry, paint in the stems and veins of the leaves.
5. When the leaves are finished, the student can begin the squirrel picture. Use blacks, browns, warm fall colors. Have the student paint the paper in with water first and then add the colors as they go. While wet, sprinkle salt on.
6. Allow to dry. The second day (or when dry) , the pictures /patterns can be cut out.
When the lesson is finished, allow to thoroughly dry. Will leave a nice appearance.
7. Squirrel pattern can then be cut out. And pasted with leaf cutouts. See picture.

Objectives: Wet on Wet watercolor technique
Blending of watercolors together
Use of Warm and Cool colors
Science lesson - discussion of why leaves turn different colors . Many books on this in the library. I use the "Autumn Leaves" book from our library.

Eslar Targets:
#3 Recognizing the Glory of God's Creation-how each leaf is different yet similar
#1 Critical thinking skills - understanding the step by step process to achieve a certain effect using watercolors and the design element of composition.