Glue and Pastel Fish

My students love to play with messy materials, and pastels are definitely messy. One way that I keep the pastel situation under control is through the use of glue. I start out by reading a book to my students, such as Rainbow Fish and then give each student a piece of black paper. The students then draw their fish or other undersea creature using pencil. Once the drawing is finished, the students trace over the pencil lines with glue, and then the glue is left to dry. Once the glue is dry, the students color in the fish with pastels, and then I spray hairspray or fixative on the artwork to seal the pastel. When dry, the glue acts like a wall or barrier, which helps keep the pastels from smearing everywhere. I have done this lesson with second and third graders.