More Monet

In this toddler class with children from 15 months to 3 years we created our own version of Monet's Water Lilies by using tissue paper and glue. Toddlers always like paint, but I wanted to use a different medium and show the kids something new.

Yesterday I had two classes at the Museum and what a wonderful group of kids it was! I read this fun book by Lois Ehlert called, Planting a Rainbow.
I love Ehlert's books-she is the illustrator as well and I like her bold fun style. We talked about Monet's garden and the colors and things we might find there. We looked at another book I brought showing Monet's work and talked about Water Lilies. In the Museum we found garden scenes and made out way to Monet's work.

In the classroom we used
-11x14 sheet of medium weight watercolor paper
-bleeding tissue paper precut into shapes
-elmer's glue mixed with water-about 1 to 1 ratio
-large flat paintbrushes

The night before I cut a variety of bleeding tissue paper into shapes. Blues and yellow into squares and rectangles. Greens into lily pads and pinks and purples into lily flowers.


Each student had a work station with their own paper, tissue paper, glue and brush.

I had kids first brush their paper with the glue mixture. Then they applied their blue/yellow squares for water. Then lily pads, then flowers-adding glue inbetween to help new layer hold.

We had so much fun. Here are some of their beautiful creations!