Meet the Art: Wondrous Birds (Quick Tip)

A painting of three storks flying above a German landscape. Puffy white and gray clouds fill the sky behind the birds. A river with a bridge across it is winding through the landscape below. The land on either side of the river is empty and mostly green. A thicket of green trees is depicted on the bottom right side of this scene.
Hans Thoma, Wondrous Birds

Look

How many birds do you see in this painting? These birds are flying high in the sky. What else do you see in the sky? Pretend you are flying next to these birds. Flap your arms like a bird up in the sky.

Connect

The Museum is full of paintings that show us different skies. See how many skies you can find on NCMALearn. What things do you see in the sky in the daytime? What do you see in the sky at night?

Enrich

Lie in the grass and look at the sky. What do you see in the day sky? Visit your backyard at night and look for stars in the night sky.

  • Paint a day sky picture with small sponges and white tempera paint on light blue construction paper, or draw clouds with white chalk. Use crayons or markers to draw other things you see in the day sky.
  • On dark construction paper, draw a night sky with stars and lights that sparkle at night.
Grade level
Pre-K, K, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
Subject Areas
Science, Visual Arts
Concepts
Environment, Observation, Perspective