The teacher reads the tale of Jack and the beanstalk in class as an introduction to this lesson.
The teacher does a quick demonstration on how to quickly paint a beanstalk. Special emphasis is put on leaving some white space as highlights on the "trunk" of the beanstalk. Thin squiggly lines are added to the trunk to represent vines.
After the stalk is painted, students use their finger or thumb to make leaves by dipping it in paint and repeatedly pressing it to the paper.
Variations on this assignment can be done. Sometimes I'll have students add a little yellow, tan, or brown dot (punched out of paper with a 3-ring hole punch) with a smiley face on it to represent a tiny little Mr. Jack peeking from behind the beanstalk. Sometimes I display all the stalks in the hall by stacking them on top of each ohter up to the ceiling with a little cartoon Jack hiding somewhere. Then the students can try to find little Mr. Jack when they walk by the beanstalks on their way to class. We'll see what this year brings.
