#6 Drawing Children in a Swimming Pool
Grade Level 2 - 6
Description/Objective
Students learn vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines while drawing children standing, swimming and diving in a pool. This lesson helps build drawing skills by understanding the basic lines in drawing.
Time
1 hour
Materials
Drawing instrument - pencil (and eraser), charcoal, sharpie marker (1 per student)
12" x 18" white construction paper (1 per student)
A nickel for the head (several for students to share)
1-1/4" X 2" small tagboard template (ideally 1 per student) - see below
Procedure
1. For students able to use scissors, have them cut a 1 ¼" x 2" rectangular tagboard template (1 per student) otherwise teacher prepares these before class.
2. Explain art vocabulary vertical, horizontal and diagonal and draw these lines on the board.
3. Tell students to imagine the edges of their piece of paper is a swimming pool. The only directions they need to follow are to make one person standing, one person swimming and one person diving. They start by tracing around the rectangle template for the body after they decide what the figure is doing. Use the nickel to trace the head, leaving room for the neck. A chin can be added to the bottom of the circular head shape.
4. Draw a sample on the board of this figure.
5. Remind students to complete one figure at a time and that they may want to overlap arms and legs for an unusual effect.
Subject Matter Integration
MATH: Have students measure and cut out 1-1/4" x 2" template.
LANGUAGE ARTS: Read the book Let's Go Swimming with Mr. Sillypants, by M.K. Brown. Write stories about an event where you felt silly.
MUSIC/MOVEMENT: Music is a natural way to motivate and stimulate imagination. Play music from the Beach Boys (1960) and teach the students "The Swim."
Variations/Extensions
1. This same lesson can be successfully adapted to an outer space unit. Have the children draw aliens.
2. On St. Patrick's Day have the students draw Leprechauns. Keep the same directions, one vertical, one horizontal and one diagonal figure.
3. Utilize watercolor paints to add to dimension of piece.
4. This same lesson plan can be adapted to drawing people/fish, etc. in the ocean.