Fancy Glitter Fish

I love seeing the expressions on my second grade student's faces as they arrived into the art room. Eyes wide, big smiles and yes, even a few squeals from the girls. These "Glitter Fish" are always a welcomed project.

I begin by asking my students the difference between a realistic and a whimsical drawings. They all know. After all, how many fish do you see wearing crowns?
I tell them that they can draw any type of fish they want as long as it has a body that is round or oval in shape, a mouth for eating, a tail for propelling and fins for beauty!
They get busy drawing in oil pastel (no pencils, please!) or crayons and then I pass out the paint. Not just any paint, mind you, but glitter paint.
Tip: The glitter paint I buy is somewhat of a disappointment. It's too sheer. So to remedy this problem, I add a few squirts of liquid watercolor and a dollop of Mod Podge to my glitter paint. Give it a stir and you have the perfect paint.

This lesson can be done in one 40-minute sessions. To add more interest to the painting, the children can cut around the fish and mount on pretty paper.