Rainbow Fish

Rainbow Fish is a book well known to primary teachers. Copyright(ed) in 1992 by Martin Pfister it has been used in classrooms for a long time. On-line if you search "rainbow fish images" you see a delightful range of possible art for your classroom. I went searching because my TK (transitional kinder) is engaged in studying fish-so an art activity seemed a way to think about "scales." Bringing a fish from the fish market would really be a great way to see them-except I hesitate because they are dead and that might be tough for my five year olds. So art seemed a way to think about the fish and investigate their form.

If you know the story it goes something like this (spoilers):
Rainbow Fish is incredibly beautiful but a bit short sighted. Rainbow Fish carries a notion all creatures of the sea will worship that beauty. But ...and ( here I do name this feeling of envy or jealousy), his fellow fish would like a bit of that beauty for themselves in the form of a scale. I quibble with the book on this idea because scales are not transferable and neither is "beauty," but this just is part of the story so you go with it. In my class no one questioned this part of the story. Not even after extended prodding. Rainbow Fish rejects a tiny fish's plea for a scale in a harsh way and suffers social isolation and rejection. (again pretty implausible in today's world)  Rainbow Fish after seeking advise eventually gives away the most prized possession, his colorful scales,  and regains the other fish as friends. So the book has lots to offer-shunning, negative emotions, isolation, beauty, giving, selfishness, generosity-the works. And if you wonder why I keep saying Rainbow Fish over "he" or "she" a pretty easy convention-I forget if it is he or she and it is effort to get up and go over to look. I'm thinking it is "he."

My students were very thoughtful about the story they've heard several times including THIS version.
When we began this three day project all students had a traced outline-that might have been unnecessary. But I chose to supply that. They drew in the scales in black crayon. The next day they began to color the scales with 25 color choices I provided including "construction paper crayons" from Crayola that are wonderful. Honestly they are going to need support if they are five to do this work, our pics are 18 x 11 so it took awhile on white tag I purchased. This is where I basically said-we are coloring 25 minutes for two days so go slow. Good Luck.

Then they washed over it with watercolor.

And rainbow fish emerged.