I really love it when I can incorporate art with a topic my students are learning about in Social Studies and Science. When I am teaching European Exploration, one of our projects is creating multi-media art of a ship.
Why Students Need to Know About Caravel Ships
Caravel ships were highly maneuverable and fast. They were invented by the Portuguese and spearheaded exploration.
This art project looks so good on the wall and will really brighten up your classroom. Don’t forget to save them for Open House Curriculum night.
There is no rule that says you have to display projects or student samples that are recent. You will want to show off this art project for sure!
Prepping for the Art Project
First, you need to prepare a few things. You’ll need:
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Sponge- you can purchase at a craft store or cut up a dish sponge in half
- Black marker or Sharpie
- Tempera paint (acrylic works too) Brown White Blue Aqua Red Orange Yellow
There is minimal prep since all you need to do is cut the construction paper in advance.
Measure 30 cm and 60cm using the short side of a 12” x 18” blue and aqua construction paper. This is where you will cut your blue and aqua strips. Each student gets 1 aqua and 1 blue stip.
Set up a station where students sponge-paint their strips white. You can cut up old dish sponges or buy them new.
Cut 12 x 18 brown constriction paper into fourths. Each student gets two pieces.
Each student needs white 12 x 18 construction paper. Pass that out last.
Step-By-Step Directions
First Day
Step 1: Sponge paint your blue and aqua strips to create the seafoam
Step 2: Paint the sky blending red, orange, and yellow.
Step 3: Cut the top of the blue and aqua strips. These will be your waves.
Second Day
Step 4: Create your mast poles out of brown construction paper.
Step 5: Draw your ship and decorate it. My students will add the lines of the wooden planks and create holes for the cannons.
Step 6: Create the sails using white paper and decorate them. This is where your students can get creative. I give them the liberty to draw whatever they want. Somehow many European Explorer ships suddenly get transformed into pirate ships. What can I say? They are kids!
Step 7: Glue everything together.
Once we are done, it’s time to do a gallery walk so students can see each other’s projects.
This art project is my go-to lesson that I repeat year after year and makes learning about European Exploration more fun.
If you want to read more about how I use visuals and background knowledge to teach students about European Exploration, you can read more about it in a blog post I created HERE.
If you want to make your life easier by having a template and step-by-step Google slide directions for your students, check out my lesson HERE. You got this! Giselle
