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Symmetrical Pumpkin Paintings
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You can
have great fun painting a face on a real pumpkin to decorate it, but why not
invite your child to paint a pumpkin picture on paper that will last much
longer? Use paint, paper, and a simple fold for an art project that can lead
into a discussion about symmetry. |
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What you need:
a large sheet of paper
paints in pumpkin colors (orange, brown, green, etc.)
paint brushes
a smock
optional: a pumpkin model for inspiration!
What you do:
Fold the sheet of paper in half and put it down with the fold on the left.
Have your child put on the smock and use the paints and brush to paint
half a pumpkin on the still-folded sheet of paper (the middle of the pumpkin
should touch the fold). He or she can use a real pumpkin as a model. If your
child needs help picturing what half a pumpkin looks like, you can trace an
outline of half a pumpkin with pencil as a general shape guide.
While the paint is still wet, unfold the paper flat and then gently fold
it the other way (like closing a book) so that the wet paint smears on the
unpainted side of the paper and makes a picture of a whole pumpkin.
What you can talk about:
Explain that when an object is symmetrical, it has exactly the same shape
on both sides. If you draw a line down its middle, both halves will be the
same.
Discuss how your childs painting is symmetrical.
Discuss whether all pumpkins are symmetrical, and look in books or in
real-life for examples of pumpkins that have grown lopsided.
For extra fun, fold a sheet of orange construction paper in half, cut out
the shape of half a pumpkin (with the center of the pumpkin in the papers
fold), and unfold the paper to reveal a whole, symmetrical pumpkin. |
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