Did you know that whales blow air out of their blowholes, not water? So why does it look like water? Find out as you mix science and art with this fun whale art project for kindergarten and first grade.
“Whale”, That’s Interesting!
Whales force air out of their blowhole when they come to the surface to breathe. This warm air from their lungs condenses, or turns into water droplets (vapor), when it meets the cooler air above the ocean. It’s the same thing that happens when we blow out air from our mouth and see our breath on a cold day. Isn’t that interesting?! Learn more by watching this video:
Whale Art Project
Materials
- whale template
- crayons or markers
- blue paint
- water
- straw
- paintbrush
Directions
Print out this whale template I drew and have students color it with crayons. If students wish to draw their own whale, you might have them follow a step-by-step tutorial like this one or maybe this one of a humpback whale.
Mix blue acrylic paint with a small amount of water to thin it out a bit.
Use a paintbrush to place small drops of paint on the whale’s blowhole. Use the straw to blow the paint up and away from the blowhole to resemble the vapor coming out. Repeat this step as desired.
I love how these little whales turn out! You might remind students as they’re painting that just like they blow air through the straw to spread the paint, whales blow air (not water!) through their blowholes when they surface. When that warm air from their lungs meets the cooler air outside, it turns into water droplets.
More Whale and Ocean Activities
This easy and educational craft is part of my whales mini-unit for kindergarten and first grade. It includes cross-curricular activities for science, reading, writing, math and art. The best part? It also includes a lesson plan and teaching guide for you!
8 Comments
Love this can’t wait to try it with my Kindergarten class. We are reading Dear, Mr. Blueberry it has a whale in it. I did type the word
spurt at the top of the paper as it is one of our vocabulary words from the book.
Including a vocabulary word is a great idea! I hope your students enjoy making it!
Did this today with my third grade art class. The kids loved it and they came out awesome.