Spring Art and Science Book
Spring Science Observation Lesson
Teach students to observe as they create spring art and make a spring recording booklet. Begin by collecting branches before they blossom from trees such as ornamental plum, forsythia, fruit trees, red currant.
Spring Art - Record a blossoming branch
Materials:
- Put 5 or 6 branches, ready to blossom with lots of buds on them (obtain from different trees if possible) in your science observation center (place in water)
- Liquid brown tempera paint
- Construction or other absorbent paper cut in half
- 1 Straw per student (I label them with a file folder sticker)
- Strips of paper for labels (see diagram)
- Green felt markers
- Markers the same colors as the blossoms
Spring Art Lesson Procedures
Day 1 - Make 3 branch pictures
- Give each student 3 pieces of construction paper and a straw
- Students put their names on the back of each paper
- Put a blob of brown paint on the bottom of one of the papers
- Show the children how to blow the paint into a branch
- Tip! Show the students how to crouch down so their straws are level with the table and blow across the paint rather than down on to it. Tip the paper slightly to get faster results
- Repeat on two more pieces of paper
Day 2 - Do this before the branches begin to grow...
- Choose one type of branch only for observation pictures (use the same type of branch for each observation session as different trees will bloom at different times)
- Using a container that does not tip too easily, put one of these branches in the center of each table
- Have the children observe them and comment on what they see
- Introduce the names of the branch parts, stem, buds, leaves
- Prompt with questions - What colors do you see? How do the buds grow, across from each other or above each other?
- Pass out one of each child's dry, blown paint branch pictures from Day 1
- Ask them to glue a label on the bottom and copy the date from the chalk board (or pass around a date stamp or preprint the labels, depending on your students' abilities)
Day 3 - Do this when you see changes in the branches, leaves often form first, then blossoms...
- Place a branch in the center of each table in a container that does not tip too easily
- Prompt with questions - How have the branches changed? What do you see that you didn't see last time we observed the branches?
- Repeat passing out and labeling picture as in Day 2
- Have students draw changes on their branch pictures, limiting their color choices to the colors on the branches
Day 4 - Do this step when the blossoms are fully out...
- Place a branch in the center of each table as before and discuss changes
- Repeat passing out and labeling picture as before
- Have students draw changes on their branch pictures using limited color choices
- Optional: Some students glued pink circle stickers on and then drew flower shapes around them(see image above) to make blossoms
- Optional: Have students make labels for the parts of the branch, stem, bud, blossom or print the words and photocopy one per student. Students glue the labels near the plant part and draw an arrow
Spring Art Cover Activity
- Draw branches with a thick brown marker
- Students put 1" squares blossom colored tissue paper around the end of a pencil, dip them into a shallow container of white glue and then press them onto the paper
- When dry, staple pages to make a Spring art observation book
All Spring theme pages:
Kids Spring crafts - Chicks hatching & Curious George
Spring science & art book - integrate science and art
Spring Crafts for kids - Straw blowing flowers, color mixing and snowdrop stencils
Spring tulips - Three finger tulip art
In Bulletin Board section:
Spring bulletin board - Easy Spring flowers
Spring counting activity here - make renewing the bulletin board a whole class activity.
