Painting Fruity Pictures

Here is a fun activity for students to do that has them observing, counting, predicting, inferring from data and problem solving among other process skills. An assortment of fruits and veg... See More

Here is a fun activity for students to do that has them observing, counting, predicting, inferring from data and problem solving among other process skills. An assortment of fruits and vegetables is collected. The author suggested carrots, lemons, cabbage leaves, tomatoes, celery and garlic, to name a few. First students identified the various plants and described the inner structures of each. Then they looked for repeating patterns within a specimen’s structure (such as layers in an onion or sections in an orange). Next the students were asked to predict which items would make good prints and which would not. Then using tempera paints, students created prints of their specimens. After they had a variety of prints, students were asked to identify the various shapes and patterns using math terms.The author included a rubric for the activity and offered some additional options and extensions to the lesson.