2nd Grade: Mr. Seahorse Inspired

I believe a few other art teachers out there have done something like this before- they turned out so cute! This is a three day lesson.  First day, I read the students Mr. Seahorse by Eric Carle.  That same day I do a step by step drawing of a sea horse as the kids follow along in pencil on white construction paper.  They outline their drawing with black crayon or permanent marker would work too.  Next class, the take pre-cut tissue squares and overlap them one at a time placing them onto the seahorse, painting over each square with water to get the colors to bleed and the tissue paper to lay flat.  Third day, the tissue paper (once dry) falls right off, and they re-use them to cut out fin and spikes.  First they cut the seahorse out on their black line, and then they glue it onto a colorful piece of construction paper (their choice).  Finally they take a glue stick and outline the head and back of their sea horse, and cut up shapes from their tissue paper to stick onto the glue for fin and spikes.