We spent the afternoon outside last week… the weather has been wonderful! I wanted to set up an activity that would be a quiet break between running games. So I grabbed one of my favorite kid’s book, a few simple art supplies and headed outside.
what you need: easel paper ~ crayons
The Crayon Box that Talked is such a fun book! You can read my review here. I sat down on the grass and read the story to my two…and the neighbor kids who stopped by.
I rolled out the easel paper.
And brought out the pile of old crayons.
While they colored we talked about how each crayon in the book had it’s own special talent and that each color added something different to the drawing.
Everything Big M draws has wheels… it also has a fascinating story to match.
The paper was rolled out three times (quite a bit of drawing for an hour out front). This piece was my favorite because all of the kids add something and they talked about the scene while they worked. Can you see Little M’s ghost floating just to the left of Big M’s green mountain?
Tips (to maximize learning): 1. Leave it out. The kids walked away after drawing for a few minutes. It wasn’t until the very end of our time outside that their art became really thoughtful and connected with one another. 2. Ask questions while they work. Help them bring their art into words. Even if you see nothing more than a few marks, your child may have a lot to say!
Questions (to ask your child): “I noticed that you chose green for this area. Can you tell me why?” “This is interesting. I see this section has a lot of long flowing marks and this section has dots. Tell me about that!” “Where is your truck headed?” (That one was for Big M. )
What type of quiet activities do you take outside?
This post is a part of the Color lesson plan.
More Crayon Ideas
Homemade Teacher Gifts – How to make a crayon monogram
Storytelling with Crayon Names
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