I love to take any opportunity I can to blend art and science together! We have been studying the solar system for a couple of months. We have focused a lot on the phases of the moon. I wanted to work in some lessons about the sun since we depend on it for life..an important detail for us all! This is a lovely simple activity that uses coffee filters, water and washable markers. We used warm colors like yellow, orange, red and I threw in some pink for extra brightness. The children color the coffee filter with the markers. This is one of those activities where more is better!! They rarely hear more, more.
Coloring the coffee filter.
Coffee filter after it was sprayed with water. We sprayed them at our tables and then went out to play. The filters dry very quickly provided they are not absolutely soaked. You may want to write the children's names with permanent marker if you are planning on leaving them somewhere else to dry.
These photos are after the filters dried. We glued them to dark blue paper for contrast and then each child wrote some facts about the sun.
We talked about absorption as they watched the colors move with the water. They were fascinated and many of them just sat quietly and watched the colors blend on their coffee filter. This activity also makes a nice display for a bulletin board if you need one!
Enjoy this version of Mr. Sun, Mr. Sun, Mister Golden Sun from The Giggle Bellies. I love it!
I just found this great video link from PBS. It is around two minutes and it is an excellent clip. The clip features animated characters as well as a live astronaut. It is very child friendly. I plan on showing it to my honeys in the am.
Gabriela thinks she wants to be an astronaut that can fly inside the rockets May will build! Dr. Cordova, introduces the kids to an astronaut so they can learn more. Hear from an astronaut engineer who helps build and fix things in space. : PBS LearningMedia
We have been learning about the solar system, the phases of the moon and the sun in my class. Our art teacher collaborated with us to help our children create some wonderful art using the moon and the sun. The children used white crayons and blue water color paint to create a crayon resist background. They each had a white circle for their moon that they of course wanted to cover with craters!
The suns were created in a similar fashion using a circle for the sun but the children colored the sun with yellow crayon. They outlined the rays with a black crayon and then used orange and yellow water color paint.
Our art teacher also used the lessons to teach the children about warm and cool colors. These are easy to make and they look great. I hope you can use this idea in your classroom.
Enjoy,
This is a sweet calm song that lasts around four minutes. It has a calming tune that will bring a few moments of peace and learning in your busy classroom. The song has facts about sun and the planets of the solar system.
Coloring the coffee filter.
Coffee filter after it was sprayed with water. We sprayed them at our tables and then went out to play. The filters dry very quickly provided they are not absolutely soaked. You may want to write the children's names with permanent marker if you are planning on leaving them somewhere else to dry.
These photos are after the filters dried. We glued them to dark blue paper for contrast and then each child wrote some facts about the sun.
We talked about absorption as they watched the colors move with the water. They were fascinated and many of them just sat quietly and watched the colors blend on their coffee filter. This activity also makes a nice display for a bulletin board if you need one!
Enjoy this version of Mr. Sun, Mr. Sun, Mister Golden Sun from The Giggle Bellies. I love it!
