Colorful fruit bowl

Students learn color theory by exploring color mixing. Students will use overlapping to show simple perspective in their picture.

A lesson plan for grade 1 Visual Arts Education

By Marilyn Carter

Learn more

Related pages

• Color mixing: Students are introduced to the basic steps in mixing secondary colors from primary colors of paint.
• Exploring colors: The learner will develop the ability to use science process skills through exploration with primary colors.
• Mixing colors with Little Blue and Little Yellow: This is an integrated lesson based on a French book entitled Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni. Within the lesson, students will experiment with various colors to create new colors and eventually write their own version of this story.

Related topics

• Learn more about arts, colors, hands-on, paintings, primary colors, and secondary colors.

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• relate healthy fruits to primary or secondary colors
• mix primary colors to create secondary colors
• cut shapes of fruits from mixed colors paper to create a fruit bowl

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

90 minutes

Materials/resources

• 12×18 inch white paper
• 12×18 inch manilla paper
• pencils
• circle shapes
• trays for paint (palette)
• brushes
• water containers
• primary colors (red, yellow, blue) paint
• 6×12 inch brown paper
• scissors
• glue
• color wheel chart (if available)

Pre-activities

The class should have discussed healthy food pyramid in previous classes. The students should also have experience using paint brushes.

Activities

Part 1

1. Discuss how healthy foods such as fruits can be very colorful. List fruits and their colors. Some colors can be found in our primary colors and others are created by mixing (red, yellow, and blue) to create secondary colors. Students prepare their paper for paint by drawing 6 circles on their white paper. This can be done freehand or tracing a circle shape.
2. The paint palettes/trays are passed out and the first and lightest primary color (yellow) is added to the palette. Students review how to load their brush and paint in one of the circles. The students wash out their brush after they are finished painting the first circle. The second lightest color (red) is added to the palette. Students repeat the circle painting process by painting a different circle red.
3. The students now look at the color wheel to learn what color will be made by mixing these two primary colors. They use a clean brush to move one color at a time to a new spot in their paint palette. Students can team up by each one picking up a different color and mixing them together to make (orange) Paint this color in a third circle. The last primary color (blue) is painted in a circle and then used to mix green, and violet. All paintings are set aside to dry.

Part Two

1. Students cut off the bottom corners of the brown construction paper to create a bowl shape for their project. They cut fruit shapes from the painted circles and glue on the top edge of their bowl. Some may overlap each other to show depth.
2. Manilla paper is used to show a background for their fruit bowl. The students draw and color their version of a table/tablecloth. The fruit bowl is glued on top of the drawn table. Optional interior or exterior scenes can by added to show depth in their background.

Assessment

• Teacher will look for students demonstrating correct painting, cutting and gluing skills.
• Students may self-evaluate their work by checking the colors from the color wheel.
• Students and class will evaluate finished art work with an art display.