First graders completed their clay rainbow fish this week and I must say they turned out GREAT. We began by reading The Rainbow Fish which is a story I loved as a kid. It has beautiful illustrations, sparkly details, and a great moral: share and you will be happy.
Then, students created a pinch pot out of clay. I reminded them to use their “lobster hands” and gently pinch, pinch, pinch. Students added fins, tails, eyes, and texture to create details.
After the fish were fired in the kiln, we used watered down tempera paint to create rainbow fish. Students could even use glittery gold to make the special scale!
This project was incredibly successful and the kids were very engaged and excited about it. I love the way the fish turned out, they look equally adorable and monstrous with so much expression and individuality. 🙂
January 11, 2013 at 8:02 pm
This is such a precious idea! That book is definitely a classic – and what a great way to incorporate reading + a fun art project! Those fish look gorgeous. I bet those kids are super proud of their work.
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