1st Grade Stars in the Sky

It is always so fun to teach 1st graders how to draw stars. Of course, some kids already have that knowledge, but to help those who have no idea where to start is awesome. I taught the kids a little rhyme to help them....."First you draw a mountain, a river flowing up, a bird flew across and climb back down." I had them practice this in their sketchbooks first and then when they gained confidence, they used oil pastels directly on black paper. Students were asked to begin their composition with a moon and then add stars. As we worked, I encouraged them to blend and overlap colors to make the sky exciting. Twinkles (little dashes) were added if desired. The last step was adding turquoise tempera cake to the paper which looks awesome when dry!