Let your creativity blossom!

“A great lesson to show kids how something plain can become vibrant and beautiful.” - Jeanette

diluted 1:1 (this means you mix the paint and some water together. 1 part water) Q-tips Paint brushes Elements Focus • Color • Line • Shape • • • Suggested Resources • Books with large illustrations of trees • Any other pictures of trees during different seasons • • .Getting Started Our lessons have a special focus on educational standards. and based on our interpretation of the State of California Standards for Art Curriculum. practical application for your children. Every lesson by Kids Art Classroom is grounded in the elements of art. and fun expressions that your parents will be proud to hang at work or at home. 1 part paint. in equal amounts. Our Lesson •Title: Spring Trees •Grade: 1st – 5th •Time: 1 hr •Prep: 10 min •Activity: 45 min •Cleanup: 5 min Your Supplies 12x18 White construction paper for background Pink and white paint Black TEMPERA paint.

What do you see? Teachers are encouraged to create the lesson and have an example of their own – but we know how sometimes that won’t be possible! .

what do they feel like. shown in this lesson by the blossoms being in front of the tree. – Explain “overlapping” to your students. – Describe the shapes. • Teacher’s Notes: – Talk about how trees look different during each season. what do they look like. – Do any of the shapes look like they are real. – Large pictures or illustrations of trees during the different seasons should be used to get your students motivated.While Showing Your Example – Ask: • What do you see? (here are some prompts) – Tell me about the colors. do they look like “forms” (blossoms). .

and push your hand forward (a continuous brush stroke) towards the top of the page. dip your paintbrush into the black paint. set down your white construction paper. •Next. • Your trunk can be as long as you want (the example of this lesson shows a trunk about half the size of the white background). portrait style.Let’s make the trunk •What rises up from the ground and supports a tree’s weight? The mighty trunk! To make yours. This will make a straight line from the bottom of the page towards the top of the page. press your paintbrush down at the very bottom edge of the white paper. . and get ready to start painting! •To paint the trunk.

that look something like this: • • • Like with the height of the trunk. dip your paintbrush back into the black paint. which we will also make with the black paint and paintbrush. where you wish your branch to be. Push your hand away from the trunk (lighter stroke than the trunk. so the branches are thinner) using “V” and “Y” shaped strokes. you may include as many branches as you like. as well as any combinations of the “V” and “Y” strokes. To make a branch grow from the trunk.Now let’s grow the branches • Next come the branches . Congratulations! You have just created a “naked” tree in the winter season! • . and press it down on the white paper somewhere on the trunk.

Return your Q-tip to the paint often to make sure your flowers are bright and beautiful! Once you have your pink flowers. Flip your Q-tip over and use the dry side for the white paint You can also add some flowers on the bottom (ground) of the page. you can add white flowers by using the same steps above (overlapping the branches and pink blossoms).Time for Spring Flowers! • Now that you have made a tree in the winter. take your Q-tip and dip it in the pink paint Now dot your Q-tip onto your branches. as well as anywhere on the page to show falling blossoms CAUTION: WET PAINT • • • . overlapping the branches. wherever you want there to be flowers. it is time for spring! DO NOT CONTINUE UNTIL THE BLACK PAINT HAS DRIED! • To add your spring flowers to the tree.

shape Branches: color. line .What did we learn? Let’s Share! • Have your student artists share their art – • What they saw • What they felt. or imagined • What they learned. line Background: color Trunk: color. and applied • Ask about what trees look like in different seasons • Ask where they are going to put the art to remember about how their naked tree became beautiful in the spring! Elements Used Blossoms: color.

Elements of Art
The elements of art are like ingredients when you cook. You need butter, flour, eggs and chocolate chips to bake chocolate chip cookies. To create art you need elements; line, color, shape, form, texture and value.

LINE: Describes how the artist has used the lines in many different aspects and describes the various types and styles of lines used in the artwork and how this influences the viewer's point of view. COLOR: Always has three characteristics, which are hue, value and the intensity. Hue means the shades (Red, yellow or pink), value refers to the lightness or the darkness and intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of the work of art. SHAPE: A shape always has two dimensions, length as well as width. This is represented as an enclosed area that is defined by color, value, space, texture and form. When lines form together, they form shapes. Shapes can be geometrical, rectangles, ovals and squares. FORM: A form always has three dimensions; length, width and height. Examples of such would be cubes, pyramids, spheres or even cylinders. VALUE: The value refers to the changes in the base color. This is also determined by how much light is reflected or absorbed by any surface. Values mean the various intensities of the tones or colors. This could be the highlights, mid tones or even shadows in any painting or sculpture. TEXTURE: Texture is the feeling and visual feel of the fabrics, colors, and room accessories. There are two types of : Optical (visual) texture, and texture which you can touch (tactile).

Art Standards*
1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION • Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts • Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their observations. 2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION • Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts • Students apply artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate meaning. 3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

• Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of the Visual Arts
• Students analyze the role and development of the visual arts in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to the visual arts and artists. 4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING • Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works in the Visual Arts • Students analyze, assess, and derive meaning from works of art, including their own, according to the elements of art, the principles of design, and aesthetic qualities. 5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS • Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in the Visual Arts to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers • Students apply what they learn in the visual arts across subject areas.

*Note: The standards above refer to the California Standards for Visual Arts
California Standards for visual arts: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/vamain.asp National Standards for visual arts: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/