Everyone has heard of the “deep blue sea.” But what about the violet shells, the salmon coral, the chartreuse seaweed? Fifth graders took all of these ocean colors into consideration when creating the backgrounds for their under the sea mixed media projects. Using a varied palette of sparkling hues, they painted a watercolor wash and then used two interesting techniques, table salt and plastic wrap, to add unusual detail and texture. Once the backgrounds dried, they added assorted crabs, fish, and even a mermaid or two to swim among the seaweed. We finished the mixed media projects with real sand, shells and transparent painted seaweed!