123 I Can Paint! is a fantastic book that teaches young children the basics of painting.
Painting is fun, and 123 I Can Paint! by Irene Luxbacher (Kids Can Press, ISBN-10: 1-55453-037-7) captures all the fun of painting sceneries and exploring art with 8 great lessons for children ages 4 to 7. Each project explores a basic painting technique and demonstrates how colors affect the mood and atmosphere of a painting.
Supplies Needed
There are a few basic things that are needed to recreate the paintings in 123 I Can Paint! First, either acrylic or tempera paint can be used for the paintings. Plastic containers or small aluminum pie plates are needed for mixing the paint. For making the interesting paintings, sponges, paintbrushes, a toothbrush, cotton swabs, and scraps of cardboard are needed.
The Painting Projects
There are eight basic painting lessons in 123 I Can Paint! The first painting project is an underwater world. Children will learn about mixing primary colors to make secondary colors. After the background is painted, children will then use their thumbs to make thumbprint fish. The second project explores light and dark. Children will learn how to use white and black paint to lighten and darken green paint.
The third painting project is absolutely stunning. Children will learn how to paint a field of flowers using warm colors. They will also use a sponge and cotton swabs to paint some of the items on the field of flowers.
The next painting lesson is about using bright and lively colors to paint a busy city scene. Children will learn about complimentary colors. In contrast, the next project involves painting a beautiful mountain scene with deep purples, and using a horizon line to divide the painting into land and sky.
In the last two painting projects, children will paint exploding fireworks and a mural. For the fireworks, children will get to have fun splattering paint with a toothbrush. Finally, for the mural, kids will get to paint a bird’s eye view of the world. They will take all the techniques and basic painting skills they’ve learned to create warm and cold areas, farm and city areas, oceans, islands, and houses.
Perfect for Teachers, Homeschoolers, and Parents
Art teachers, homeschooler, and parents of young artists have much to gain from 123 I Can Paint! The supplies needed for each project are very basic items. The instructions are also very easy to follow and teach to young children. What is so great about this book is that with only eight basic painting projects, a child can create over a hundred different variations of each theme.
