Lie Down Paintings

Before the turtle, came the artist: Michaelangelo Buonarroti. Michaelangelo was best known for his commitment to painting the Sistine Chapel and popular belief is that he painting it lying on his back... Actually that's not true- he was ahead of his time and used a complicated scaffolding system that supported him and his aides. 

The strain on his neck, head and back must have been tremendous and he probably would have been better off painting on his back. 

Even though Michaelangelo's myth about painting the Sistine Chapel has been debunked, it's still a nice lesson on persepective and a challenge for students.

All they need to do is tape paper to the underside of their desks and paint with a brush that's not too wet. If you're worried about paint dripping, just use markers. 

I would definitely introduce the lesson by talking about Michaelangelo, his works, his era and the myth about him painting upside down. It might be nice for them to paint works inspired by Michaelaneglo that you show the children.