1st Grade Talented Squid

This is another project inspired by pinterest.com. If you haven't been to the site yet, it is pretty spectacular and worth taking the time to check out. 


I spotted a pin about a book called I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry. The front cover illustration was hilarious, so I decided to design a project around the book. The book is about a squid who is a very talented artist, but a little oblivious of his surroundings. Sound familiar?!? At one point he paints a mustache on himself as he is traveling around the ocean making art. The book isn't the best I've ever read, but the concept is a lot of fun.


For the art project, each students drew their own version of the squid doing something that they are best at. My example showed me eating Chipotle burritos. Each student drew their squid and colored it with colored pencils. The following class, they created a watercolor background using liquid watercolors and some magic crystals (salt) to create cool textures. The students then cut out their squid. My big observation here is that too many students drew their tentacles too thin. I had to do a lot of helping with the cutting. If I do this project again, I'll definitely make sure the tentacles are thicker and easier to cut. Students then made a speech bubble for their squid and wrote about what they were best at. Additional underwater friends were added with some extra time. This was definitely a fun project for my 1st graders and a great way to get to know them a little better. One of my students is best at eating bananas. I wouldn't have ever known that if not for this project!


Check out my lesson plan here!!!