Third Grade Cityscapes

Often I get requests from classroom teachers to do a certain project or subject matter with their students.  I love those requests!  I find that whenever we can make connections between Art and what the students are learning in their core classes, they are more excited about the subject and retain more information- they become experts.  And truth be told, sometimes I run out of ideas for new and exciting subjects, so it's nice to have that variety for me as well as the kids.

I was chatting with a third grade teacher and she was telling me all about the kid's social studies unit where they were studying rural, suburban and urban communities.  So we talked about what kinds of things the third graders could do in Art to connect with that unit.  Cityscapes were the answer!

First, students folded their paper in half, and after looking at many examples of urban architecture (skyscrapers), they drew and colored a skyline on the top half of their paper.

After they were done coloring, we started to spray water on the white half of the paper, one small section at a time.

After each spray, we would close the paper and rub the two sides together.  Then we'd open it up and do another spray.  Here is how the first spray turned out:

Then we continue on down the paper until we have the entire bottom half covered.  And then we have instant reflection!  A cityscape on the water...

More samples: