Jellyfish Art Lesson Summer Ocean Art Project Elementary Summer Art Activity

This Jellyfish Art Lesson is a bright, ocean-themed summer art project for elementary classrooms and homeschool settings, made for Grades 2 to 5. It combines step-by-step drawing, imagination and a textured background effect.

Students draw a smiling jellyfish with large eyes, add frills and long flowing tentacles to create movement, then build depth by overlapping tentacles and adding bubbles. They finish with a painted background and a sea salt texture that turns the artwork into an underwater scene.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “Thank you for this project. The resource was easy to use and my students loved it.” Erin P.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE, 25+ PAGES)

• Complete Jellyfish Art Lesson Plan
• Step-by-step drawing instructions with visuals
• Printable student step-by-step drawing sheet
• Teacher instruction pages
• Art rubric for assessment
• Example artwork poster

Materials needed: pencil and eraser, black marker, coloring materials (crayons, oil pastels, etc.), paint (watercolor or similar), paintbrush and water, sea salt for the texture effect, and paper or cardstock.

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students practice drawing a jellyfish step by step, creating flowing lines and movement with the tentacles, layering and background design, and exploring texture with the sea salt technique. The lesson touches on the Elements of Art: line, shape, color, space, texture, form and value.

HOW TO USE IT

Project the step-by-step instructions, demonstrate as needed, and let students follow along on their own. Everything is simple, visual and easy to teach, so it works for non-art specialists too.

Use it for elementary art lessons, summer or under the sea themes, easy lessons for beginners, substitute art plans, homeschool art and end-of-year art.

FAQ

What grade level is this best for?

Grades 2 to 5, and it is easy to adapt.

How long does it take?

Usually 1 to 2 class periods, depending on drying time.

Is it messy?

A little. The salt texture step is a student favorite.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★★ “I used this with a group of 1st graders in summer camp, they loved it!” Deborah D.

★★★★ “My students loved this resource. Thank you so much!” Kristen D.

★★★★ “Such a wonderful art activity! Easy to make and the students loved this activity.” Helen B.

★★★★ “This was perfect for a summer art project!” Nicole K.

★★★★ “Great resource!” Cassidy M.

★★★★★ “My students loved this art lesson. Thank you!” Teach W.

★★★★★ “Love it!” Leah R.

★★★★★ “Looks so fun!!” brenda E.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use the clip art as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations, and use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on OutSchool, put it on your blog, share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic