Painting an ocean mural is an all day activity for the upper graders. Ken will talk to the children about the subject of their mural and then painlessly anchor that information to a coordinate geometry lesson. A sketch of the mural is positioned over a grid labeled with letter and number coordinates, much like that of a map. This sketch is handed out to the children. After they have a basic understanding of the concepts involved in putting together their mural, the next step is to proceed out to the playground and get to work.

The students' first job will be to construct a larger grid on the wall or handball backboard that will be used for the mural. The children will do some measuring and snap a construction chalk line to draw the grid. When the grid is complete, the children will plot points and chalk in the outline and features of the subjects of their mural. Once the outline is complete, the painting process begins. The outlined marine animals are blocked with color and then detailed and shaded to make the mural come alive. The children will be responsible for the entire painting process..

Ken will bring yard sticks, construction snap lines, chalk, spray paint, rollers, brushes, step stools, and paint and trays necessary for the project. Your school is responsible for providing a suitable place to paint and for providing the workforce, the students..

The coordinate geometry lesson transforms a blank wall into a colorful mural, reinforcing both map skills and ocean biology lessons. The children will practice problem solving, cooperative learning, scale drawing, perspective, light and shadow values, measurement, painting, and much more..

In this lesson, the right and left sides of the brain hold hands and create something of value for the entire school..

A full day's worth of activities and learning costs: $800

Please visit the Photo Gallery to see some samples of murals Ken has helped create.