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.
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.
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:
- Paint the surface of the rock black, let dry
- 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.]
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.
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!
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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.
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