Earth Paints 2

1	The children found different coloured dirt to use as paint.
2	First, they needed to turn the lumps of clay into powder.
3	They took the crumbled clay outside to dry in the sun.
4	Then they crushed the dry clay with rolling pins.
5	They mixed the powder with water to make mud.
6	Then they tested their paints on bark, driftwood, paper and thin pieces of wood.
7	The teacher pinned their painting on the wall.

Fill in the spaces with words from the story

Traditional Aboriginal artists painted water with ground-up coloured rocks and clay to make their paints.

The class thought it would be fun to make paints too.

They were surprised at how many different types of colours they found.

On Monday morning the classroom was cluttered with everything they needed to make their own coloured soil.

First they needed to turn the lump of clay into powder.

The crushed it with their fists and rubbed it between the palms of their hands.

Then they spread it on trays to dry in the sun.

After play time, they crushed the dry clay with rolling pins.

The clay was now a soft, dusty powder.

Next, they mixed spoonful with the powder to make sticky mud.

The earth paints were smooth and thick and creamy.

They made paintbrushes from twigs and bamboo sticks, and sometimes they used their fingers.

The painted fish and fish, birds and lizards, and spiders and beetles.

They were very proud of their paintings.