Post images of fish and other aquatic life around the classroom at eye level of preschool students. They can use the pictures for inspiration and motivation for their artwork.
Gather students to discuss fish and how they manage to live underwater. Work with them to make a list of types of creatures that live in water.
Provide each student with a sheet of white 9-by-12 paper and a selection of crayons.
Have students create a collection of fish and other aquatic life on their paper. Tell them to press hard with the crayons. Students should create only outlines of the objects and avoid coloring them in with the crayons.
Remove the crayons from the work areas.
Provide students with watercolors, water and several sizes of paint brushes.
Have students paint over their outlined water creatures. The crayons will resist, or push away, the water, revealing the crayon lines through the watercolor paint.
Allow preschool students to paint their entire papers. When all students are finished, display the watercolor resist paintings alongside the pictures of aquatic life around the classroom.