#CharliesAdventuresInSouthAfrica #blogtour #BooksOnTour #Day5
Watercolour Safari Painting
Africa is well-known for their stunning ‘Big Five’ game animals. These include the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo – the most respected animals on the savanna. But there are there are other amazing iconic African animals, too. Can you name some of them?
Let’s also consider South Africa’s representation of hope and unity, diversity and respect – ‘Rainbow Nation’ was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-apartheid after the 1994 democratic election (ref: Wikipedia).
Finally, Charlie’s Adventures…in South Africa captures the beauty of the nation through its language and images. Illustrator Sophie Norsa uses a stunning blend of watercolours in every shade of the rainbow to portray energy and movement.
So today we will be integrating all the above elements to create our own piece of art using rainbow watercolours and African animals.
Ages: 3 – 8 years
Objectives:
Name and recognise native African safari animals.
Understand the meaning of ‘Rainbow Nation’.
Name the colours of the rainbow.
Experiment with watercolour paint to shade and blend.
Discussion:
What African animals do you know? Have you ever seen an African animal? What do you know about their features and characteristics?
Where is South Africa? Have a look on the map. What do you know about that country? What does the Rainbow Nation mean?
What are the colours of the rainbow? What happens to a watercolour when you add more water? How do you make a colour darker? What happens when you paint a watercolour over the top of another watercolour?
Materials:
Cut out silhouette of an African animal of your choice. (Draw or trace and cut out)
Paper (watercolour paper or card)
Watercolour paints
Paintbrush
Water
Small ball of blue tack.
Directions:
1. Once you have cut out your African animal silhouette, line the edges of the back with small pieces of blue tack. Stick this onto your paper in the desired position.
2. Begin painting by dipping your brush into the water and then into the paint. Start painting directly around your silhouette, being careful not to paint under the paper silhouette.
3. Continue to add more colours, making sure to blend them together with water, and adding more paint where you want darker parts. Leave a white border around the edge.
4. Once you have completed your painting with a range of colours, remove the silhouette from the paper.
5. Your beautiful painting is now finished! Hang it up for everyone to view!
There are a mountain of cool craft and learning ideas about South Africa on the internet. You might like to try this African drum! 🥁 (Click the image to view instructions).
Learn some of the unique South African slang and customs to show off to your friends!
‘Ag man!’ – the Afrikaans equivalent to ‘oh man!’, used to express pity, resignation or irritation.
‘Biltong’ – seasoned strips of dry meat.
‘Boerewors’ – spicy South African sausage.
‘Braai’ – a barbecue.
‘Hayibo’ – ‘wow!’
‘Howzit’ – How is it going? How are you?
‘Is it?’ – Is that so? Can also be used when you’re disinterested in what someone is saying.
‘Ja’ – Yes.
‘Lekker’ – Great, delicious, nice or fun.
‘Voetsek!’ – Go away!
Reference: pinkpangea.com
#language #visualart #science #nature #culture #tradition #education
Feast your eyes on more South African goodness over at Missie Loves Books by Melissa Gijsbers!
Discover South Africa and WIN! 🇿🇦
What would you like to see or do in South Africa?
Click the image for details.
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