Kindergarten:  Lesson  4  (February)  

 

Keywords: Texture, Color, Collage Activity: Seahorse Collage (Plan 75 minutes for this lesson and activity.) About the Artist:

• Eric Carle started drawing when he was a little boy and has asserted that he “will never stop being a scribbler.” Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, he spent his early childhood in America before moving to Germany at the age of six.

• Carle learned German and studied at the prestigious Academy of Visual Arts before fulfilling his dream of returning to the U.S. in 1952. After working as a graphic designer and art director for an advertising agency, Carle collaborated with Bill Martin, Jr. on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, launching his career as a beloved children's book illustrator. Since then, Carle has also written and illustrated many

Art Masterpiece: Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle

Kindergarten:  Lesson  4  (February)  

 

well-known titles such as The Grouchy Ladybug and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has been translated into more than 30 languages.

• Most of Eric Carle's characters are animals, and he thinks this might be because of his father's influence. While he was growing up, Carle and his dad would go on walks in the forest. They would stop and observe all the little animals and insects living there, and Carle's father would tell him about how they live and grow.

• Growth and discovery are major themes in Carle's books. He says that moving from home to school was “traumatic” for him, and he hopes that his books, many of which are not only beautifully illustrated but have cutouts, flaps, and raised textures, are “half toy and half book.” This shows young readers that growth and change can be a lot of fun.

• Carle lives with his wife and cat in Massachusetts, and has 2 grown children.

Artist’s Technique: • To create his beautiful pictures, Carle uses the technique of collage. • Carle first paints over colored tissue paper with acrylic paint

sometimes using a wide brush, sometimes a narrow brush, sometimes his fingertips, and often using a sponge, burlap, or other bumpy material like a stamp to create texture. Then he cuts out shapes in the colored papers (which he stores in color-coded drawers after they dry) to make the different parts of his scenes and characters.

Possible Questions: Read the Mr. Seahorse story to the students and discuss the following questions.

• What animals do you remember from the story? • What colors of tissue paper do you see in the pictures? • What kind of tissue paper did Mr. Carle use to depict grass, water, fish

scales, etc.? • Do you see any layers of tissue paper? What colors are layered?

Kindergarten:  Lesson  4  (February)  

 

v Coordinator: Using the seahorse stencil, trace and cut seahorses out of 9x12-inch colored construction paper (cut 3-4 pages at a time to save effort). Prepare enough for each child to have one. Punch a hole in the top of each seahorse, and thread an 18-inch strand of curling ribbon through the hole; tie and curl ribbon.

v Volunteer: Seahorse cut-outs will be prepared ahead of time, and placed in the supply bin for you to use.

Activity: Seahorse Collage

1) Cover the desks with large sheets of scrap paper to catch all the bits and pieces of everything, and to make glue cleanup easier.

2) Pass out one seahorse to each child. Instruct the students to write their name on the back of their seahorse.

3) Using the individual bins provided, distribute the pompoms, bows, “bling,” buttons, etc. in small amounts to each student. Also distribute the individual bowls of tissue paper squares. Be aware that excess materials will likely be covered in glue by the end, so be sparing in how much is given to the students at the beginning.

4) Pass out the glue bottles, and show how to gently apply the tissue paper squares using tiny dots of glue. The students should cover most of the surface of their seahorse in tissue paper before attaching the accessories. Tissue paper that overlaps the edge of the seahorse can be trimmed later, after the glue has dried.

5) The students can decorate their tissue paper-covered seahorses with whatever they like: bows, buttons, strips of ribbon, sequins, jewels, foam shapes, pompoms, etc.

6) Allow the glue to dry completely before trimming the tissue paper (optional) and hanging up the seahorses.

Kindergarten:  Lesson  4  (February)  

 

Materials Needed:

• Large scrap paper (provided in Art Masterpiece classroom supplies) • 9 x 12-inch colored construction paper • Seahorse stencil • Hole punch, adult-size scissors • Curling ribbon (approximately 18 inches per seahorse) • Glue • Pre-cut 2-inch squares of colored tissue paper in individual bowls • Individual trays for other decorations • Decorations: pompoms, buttons, bling, bows, ribbon strips, foam shapes • Baby wipes to clean hands

Artwork Examples: