Rainy Days

January is the perfect time to study weather because this is when we get the biggest variety in my sunny California location.  Although we haven't had any rain yet, we are about to so here is a book and an art project all about rain.


        The book:


Wet World



This is the perfect book to read on a rainy day. I love the rhythm, the repetition and the use of adjectives.  But more than anything I love the illustrations.  They look like they are done in watercolor.  So, of course, I had my students get out their watercolors.  (I LOVE having my students paint with watercolors and am always looking for ideas.)  One page in particular inspired me:

                                   

This photograph doesn't do it justice, but I love the way this page looks.  So I drew a blank umbrella and copied it on white construction paper.  (I could have had my students draw it themselves, but some of them would get very frustrated and the lesson would be more about drawing the perfect umbrella than using watercolor.)  Then I had my students use a black crayon to trace over the black lines of the umbrella.  Then they drew their own designs on the umbrella, along with a handle.  Next they used watercolors to paint the umbrellas.  I wish I had stopped there, but I really liked the look of the black background in the illustration from Wet World so I had my students add a lot of water to the black paint to make a wash.  The results are below so you can judge for yourself.  My other idea was to have the children create designs with crayons, then do a black paint wash over that.  However, I really, really wanted them to watercolor the umbrellas.

Whoops!  I took so long creating this post, that it is now raining here in my sunny city!  I hope all of you are safe and warm tonight! 

Love to all,

Camille