Materials:

• crayons
  
• paper (or white tag board)
  
• black tempera
  
• liquid soap
  
• brush
  
• toothpicks (or pointed sticks)

Procedure:

Kids LOVE this art lesson! It is a good two art period lesson. Using the size paper of your choice, have the kids cover it in BRIGHT crayon colors. Press HARD and leave no white showing from the paper.

Then YOU (as the devoted teacher) gets to collect them and paint them black (students may do this step themselves). Yes Paint them! Using black tempera paint, pour some into a large bowl and add a few drops of liquid soap. (The soap makes the black tempera adhere to the crayon-covered paper). Using an inexpensive foam brush, paint all the crayon covered papers and let dry over night.

The next day, have the students use a sharpened dowel rod (about 6 inches long) or even a tooth pick, to scratch the paint off and create a design. The LOVE to do this. The oohs and aahs are great! Some designs and scenes that work great are underwater scenes, clowns and circus scenes, vases of flowers, etc. A drawing may be done first then transferred to the scratch board (put white crayon or chalk on back of drawing).

NOTE: When the high school students saw the results of my students project, they got their art teacher to let them do it too!