Watercolors

• Many children experiment with watercolors from a very young age, as the medium is simple to work with and requires little in terms of materials and tools. Build a lesson around this familiar style of painting by introducing your class to Claude Monet. Present the class with pictures of "Water Lilies" or "Haystacks" and discuss the difference in the appearance of the painting when viewed from far away versus up-close. Examine the paintings with them and explain Monet's technique of using vivid colors and brushstrokes to create a mood. Each child can then try to recreate her favorite Monet on a large sheet of card-stock paper. Depending on the age of the children, you may want to tape off lines and paint in steps to keep the colors from mixing too much.
  
  

Sandpaper Art

• For slightly older children, sandpaper painting is a quick way to get an impressionist effect using crayons. On a piece of medium-grit sandpaper, draw your design in crayon, taking extra care to press hard so the color gets into all the nooks and crannies of the sandpaper. A simple one-dimensional drawing will work best, but kids can feel free to use as many colors are they like. Next, lay down a few sheets of newspaper on your work surface and place the sandpaper on top with the grit/drawing side up. Place a sheet of white construction paper or card-stock on top of the sandpaper. Finally, iron (low-heat) the white paper until the crayon starts to melt and transfer from the sandpaper. Remove the white paper and allow it to cool. The final result is a waxy interpretation of impressionism.
  
  

Finger Painting

• Finger painting is a favorite among young artists and the texture it creates is similar to the bold brushstrokes of the impressionist painters. Reinforce the theme of landscapes by taking a short field trip outside to a nearby lake, river, meadow or park and take a few digital photos. Ask the children what colors they see while on the trip and what shapes the trees and plants make against the horizon. When you return to the classroom, project the digital images on a wall of the room and ask each student to pick a favorite. Pass out card-stock and painting smocks and have the children use their fingers to create the image they see on the wall. Encourage them to fill the entire page without smudging colors together. Instruct them on how to use their fingertips like a brush and dab color gently on the paper.
  
  

Cotton Swab Painting

• Pointillism is a form of impressionism made famous by Georges Seurat. His iconic work, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," was painted using a series of dots to create a scene when viewed from afar. Show your class "La Grande Jatte" or another Seurat work and ask the kids to recreate it using paint and cotton swabs. This allows them to dot on color and will encourage them to be patient as it will take much longer for them to make a picture this way than it would with a paintbrush. Use a half-sheet of heavy card-stock paper and have them outline the picture first in pencil, or if they are too young, trace a simple picture for each student before the lesson. Use a simple outline for very young children, such as a sunflower against a blue sky, as this uses very few colors (brown, yellow, orange, green and blue), and the lines are simple to follow.