We prepared our workspace with watercolor crayons,

watercolor paper,

and paint brushes, sponges and water dishes for each artist.

I found a few bird templates on the internet, printed them out, glued them onto poster board (so they would be easy to trace) and cut them out.

Next I showed my boys how to use the watercolor crayons. There are actually a few ways to use the crayons. I showed them how to draw on the paper then use a wet brush or sponge to create a watercolor effect. We also tried dipping the crayons directly into the water and then coloring. My boys preferred the first method. My son colored his entire paper using all the 8 colors in the package.

He then used a brush dipped in water to create the watercolor effect.

We then set the paper aside to dry before moving on. The paints dried very quickly!

He then traced one of the templates onto the paper, added some details and cut it out.

I also created a painting, traced the birds on the back of the paper and cut them out.

Here is my son's finished bird!

And here are all three of our birds hanging on our porch for all to enjoy!