Taking Notice of Art in Nature
I've received several comments about art being added to STEM, to make it STEAM. I appreciate art, and feel that principles of science and art overlap. Therefore, when I was approached by a former biology student of mine, about writing lessons that explicitly address art and science simultaneously, I knew we had to do it! Kory Carter, is an art education major, and so I had her write a lesson for early childhood from the perspective of an art teacher. Once she passed it off to me, I tweaked it and added the science teachers' touch. I hope you'll agree that its a nice blend of the two.
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· Observation of (artistic) patterns in nature
· Observation of colors in nature
· Recording nature’s pattern: if your students keep lab notebooks, these leaf rubbings can be placed in there
· As much science as you want; plant structures etc.
·
Leaves
or plants freshly picked
·
Paper
(copy paper and/or construction)
·
crayons
·
hard
drawing surface
·
clipboard
to hold the paper in place (or adhere paper using masking/painter’s tape to
hard surface)
Part 1: Engage: Art
History

Teacher background: Before photography, when botanists (or
a scientist who studied plants) came across new specimens, he drew what he saw.
It was crucial to have accurate drawings. This was also true for animals
as well. John James Audubon was famous for his paintings of birds. You see, he was an
ornithologist (scientist who studies birds).
Discussion Questions: Here are some discussion questions
to introduce the lab to your students: Pick questions depending on the
age/ability of your student(s):
1. What does it mean to observe
something? (Look at it…but also smell it, hear it, & touch it)
2. If you wanted to remember how
something looked, but you didn’t have a camera, what could you do to remember
what you saw? (Draw a picture.)
3. How could you be sure to have an
accurate record of what you observed? (Use the right colors, draw it the right
size, and write down words to help you remember what it smelled and felt like.)
Part 2: Art Production

While you are outside collecting nature specimens for your
art project here are some discussion questions you can be asking:
1. What patterns do you notice in
nature? Patterns of shapes? Patterns of color?
2. Before you remove leaves from a
branch; Were are the leaf stems connected to the branch compared to other
leaves? Use words such as, opposite or alternating. (In the photo above the leaf stems are opposite.)
3. Look at leaf sizes; are leaves
smaller or larger near the bottom of the tree? (Should be larger near the
bottom so they have more surface area to receive light.)
Bring back your specimens to the lab for further analysis.
1. Put a leaf (or several leaves) down
on a hard drawing surface and then carefully place the paper on top. Adhere
the paper down either with a clipboard or with tape.
2. Rub crayon over the
surface of the paper on top of the leaf, being careful not to let the leaf
shift.
3. Consider moving the leaf around the
page to create a composition, adding different shaped leaves and vary the
colors of crayons used.
4. Other ways to make the art
interesting is to overlap leaves using different colors, but ultimately, it's
the artist's decision on what he/she prefers.
Discussion Questions to ask during the creation of the art:
1. Are some leaves easier to rub than
others? Why might that be? (Too thick of a leaf makes rubbing it difficult.)
2. When working with leaves, is there a
side of the leaf that shows more texture when you rub the crayon on it? Why
might that be? (Veins/bumps are located on the underside of the leaves.)
3. What sort of patterns can you make
with a single leaf? (Consider colors or how you place them…circle, square,
big/small/big/small.)
4. What do you notice about the veins
(bumps on the back of leaves) and the shapes they make? Do you have any idea
how those veins/bumps help the plant? (Deliver water and nutrients from the
soil to the tips of the leaves.)
Part 3: Art Criticism
Discussion to have with students after the piece is
finished:
1. What makes the art pieces different
from one another? What makes them the same?
2. What colors and/or color combinations
do you like? Why?
3. Describe any patterns you see. Do you
think patterns make art more interesting? Why or Why not?
4. Describe other ideas for using
crayons to record things you see in nature.
Aesthetics
1. What do you think makes your art
interesting to look at?
2. Is your piece “art” even though it's
not a bird by Audubon? Why or why not?
3. What makes something art? Explain.
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