Lesson 14 - Underwater Habitats

This lesson will be a part one of a two-part event. We are taking a break from our artistic world tour to focus our attention on ongoing classroom activities. The children have currently been studying underwater habitats and general structure of the sea. In our lessons we will use art to reflect their experience in the classroom.

We spoke about underwater habitats, and how the underwater world differs from anywhere else on earth. We also talked briefly of saltwater and freshwater, and how different animals live in warmer water (tropical fish and coral reefs),  versus cold water (such as sharks, dolphins, seals, whales). We looked at pictures of coral reefs, tropical fish, and plants and we noticed what kind of habitat this was and what kind of fish lived here.  We also had the chance to look at some real shells, both large and small, common and exotic, as well as a sand dollar and a starfish. I also brought in a painting I did of an underwater coral reef.

The children then had a chance to paint the basic habitat on two canvases. We used acrylic paints to create a seabed, then sponged in some outlines of reefs and outcroppings. Next we painted a little glue on the base of the canvas and sprinkled on some salt on this area. This adds texture to the painting and resembles a sandy ocean bottom. Next we painted the water, trying to keep it as realistic as possible. We needed to have the canvas dry before adding on marine life.

This we will do in our next lesson.