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Cosmic Rock Painting | Montessori Art Lesson

In my years of working with students, I’ve developed a few go-to art projects that are easy to put together and that kids LOVE. Cosmic Rock Painting is one of my favorite art projects for students. I think this project works especially well as a Montessori art project because it can be incorporated with the Great Lessons and cosmos. I find it a perfect fit for Lower L Montessori students, but with a few tweaks, it can be adapted for students at any age.

Cosmic Rock Painting | Montessori Art Lesson
Use any type of rocks!

I actually got my inspiration for this project from the book Born with a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story by Jennifer Morgan. It’s a very common book in the Montessori world—you may even already have it in your classroom! While you don’t need to read this story with your students, it makes a great foundation for jumping into this art activity.

Cosmic Rock Painting | Montessori Art Lesson
Born With a Bang –Book

Before you start this Cosmic Rock Painting project, make sure you go over the big bang, even if it’s only briefly. Show students photos of stars, constellations, and galaxies to serve as inspiration and give them ideas of what they can create.

Supplies:

  • Paintbrush
  • Paint (acrylic paint works best, tempera paint can also be used but may wash off)
  • Palette (egg cartons, paper plates, and small bowls also work)
  • Wash jar
  • Napkin
  • Rocks or stones (any will work, but river rocks are preferred)

Steps:

  1. Paint the surface of the rock black, let dry
  2. Using a variety of colors, paint on cosmic images (allow students to reference books and photos for inspiration)

Watch Cosmic Rock Painting Video

[In the video, I mention a tinting tutorial and brush stroke tutorial; to access these videos for free, register for my FREE online mini-course, Phases of Art Development. Each of these topics can be done as completely separate art lessons to help kids understand color tones and brush strokes.]

Montessori cosmic rock painting art lesson

Notes: Depending on how you want to introduce this lesson, you can have students complete the whole project in one day or break it up over the course of several days. You can teach this lesson in chronological order, starting with the big bang, then how galaxies develop, and then go into mini lessons on the milky way, super novas, the sun, Earth, and other planets. Students can paint individual rocks to represent each of these cosmic ideas.

acrylic rock painting art kids

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to easy art activities for Montessori students! After working in the art industry for more than three decades, I’ve amassed a TON of art project ideas for kids. I’ve also developed and created my very own art teaching method that introduces art literacy to students in a way that’s fun and that makes sense to them.

To explore some of the ways students learn art at each age level, and to fun and easy art project ideas, make sure you register for my FREE online mini-course, Phases of Art Development!

Sign-up to receive video course & Montessori art teaching e-newsletter.

The Phases of Art Development is a quick digital course that explains how art making can help students develop their creativity, fine-motor skills, and focus. More importantly, I share what types of projects students at every age are capable of completing safely, and without making a mess.

Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.

All rights reserved © 2024, Nature of Art®

No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreign language without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.

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Practicing Brushstrokes for Chinese New Year – Montessori Art

chinese new year cultural arts kids

With the Chinese New Year just a few days away (in 2020, it falls on January 25th), why not use the holiday as inspiration for cultural arts or history art lessons? Chinese calligraphy and many pieces of Chinese art focus on brushstrokes and can easily be incorporated into a Montessori art lesson plan.

Thousands of years ago, painting and calligraphy emerged simultaneously, largely in part because they require the same tools: brush and ink. You might be surprised to know though, that calligraphy was considered to be “fine art” long before painting ever was. In fact, it wasn’t until the Song dynasty (960-1279), that painting was finally thought of as art.

montessori art lesson chinese

We can learn a lot about Chinese art—both painting and calligraphy. Namely, the importance and variety of the Chinese brushstroke.

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The Phases of Art Development is a quick digital course that explains how art making can help students develop their creativity, fine-motor skills, and focus. More importantly, I share what types of projects students at every age are capable of completing safely, and without making a mess.

Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.

Sumi-e Brushstrokes

Sumi-e ink painting is perfect for children to learn because of its simplistic pictorial nature-inspired images created using simple brushstrokes and without very many details or added texture.

In fact, I would say sumi-e paint exercises are ideal for beginner painters to start out with since it focuses on controlling brushstrokes—balancing between thin and thick. This is actually how I start painting lessons in my classes.

sumi-e brushstroke painting kids

I’m currently in the process of building out a complete lesson around Chinese brushstrokes, but here’s a look at the exercises I’ll be including.

montessori art painting chinese ink brushstroke
  • Lesson 1: Load paintbrush without twisting the fibers
  • Lesson 2: Wipe excess ink off the brush using the sides of a jar or ink stone
  • Lesson 3: Practice making thin, long brushstrokes with the tip of the paintbrush
  • Lesson 4: Practice making thick brushstrokes with a larger amount of the paintbrush
  • Lesson 5: Practice making spirals and lines very slowly
  • Lesson 6: Practice making dots and dashes
  • Lesson 7: Practice making bamboo leaves, with simple short and long strokes all in only one try
montessori chinese new year art project kids

Now, here’s a quick look at the Chinese New Year—feel free to share this information with your students!—and a way to practice brushstrokes to celebrate the holiday.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. It’s the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over. It is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar.

2020 is the year of the rat.

2019 is the year of the pig.

In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth. Their chubby faces and big ears are signs of fortune as well. Pigs have a beautiful personality and are blessed with good fortune in life.

Chinese New Year Art Project

Year Of The Pig, Chinese Sumi-e Ink Painting Lesson

The Chinese New Year is a great time to show students a way to embrace Montessori cultural arts. Here is a simple sumi-e ink brushstroke lesson. You will be creating—to celebrate the Year of the Pig—using simple brushtrokes and in just six steps.

chinese brushstroke art lesson for children how to
Basic round pointed tip paintbrush can work

Supplies:

chinese new year, pig, painting art project for kids

Steps:

  1. Make the head with a rounded line circle shape
  2. Inside of that circle, create the pig’s snout with another, smaller rounded line circle; add two slight dots for the nostrils
  3. Paint two eye marks above the snout, plus two ears on the top of the head
  4. Make a long oval line to shape the body, attached to the head
  5. Add two line strokes at the bottom of the oval shape for its legs
  6. Make a curly corkscrew twirl on the side of the oval body; this will be the pig’s tail
year of the pig, cultural art for kids, project kideas
spramani montessori art trainer in china
Teaching art lessons and training Montessori Teachers 3 – 6, in Yiwu, Province Zheijiang China.

If your students get excited about this project, make sure you sign up for my newsletter to get more Montessori art lesson ideas to share with them!

Buy Sumi-e Ink Now!

Sign-up to receive video course & Montessori art teaching e-newsletter.

The Phases of Art Development is a quick digital course that explains how art making can help students develop their creativity, fine-motor skills, and focus. More importantly, I share what types of projects students at every age are capable of completing safely, and without making a mess.

Best of all—it’s free! To sign up for the course, click here.

All rights reserved © 2024, Nature of Art®

No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreign language without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.