Exploring nature with second graders

       Before you start any unit with any class you need to know what the kids are truly passionate about.... when you start there everything runs a lot smoother. Kids behave beautifully because they are excited about what they are doing, they make work that matters to them, show knowledge, growth and come up with truly unique ideas. I took my young artists outdoors to a gorgeous garden our awesome PTA has helped maintain over the years and it's like they have never seen it before. They have passed this garden time and time again and never noticed a thing.... and today they discovered it....again, for the first time it seems. 




I gave them pens to draw so that the focus does not become about drawing perfect anything. They are not given any rules about where  on their book to draw or how large or small to make the drawings. I do not give them any guidance on even HOW to draw. I find that when given too many "how to's" kids feel the perfectionism in them emerge and it thwarts the creative process. 









An early fall garden is a perfect thing to draw. The flowers are dying exposing the seeds that are in the process of drying out and spreading. A number of kids were fascinated by the fact that a tiny seed could produce a whole new plant. What a wonder. 





But what drew THE MOST attention of all was this amazing butterfly bush that seem to be the hangout for all sorts of bugs....







One child found a dead bee and they took turns touching it and drawing it. 





Again, you'd think they were watching a very engaging movie, yet, it's only a few bees feeding and it totally captivated, thrilled and excited them. 

















They were excited to touch the Lamb's Ear plant. 











The next class showed the same level of interest in this butterfly bush and I began thinking that perhaps the way to go was to make some large paper mache garden insects. Kids love making huge things..... and the mix of gore and fascination with bugs will definitely make things extra fun. I think I will research a bit about bees and see what fun resources I could share with them so that they also learn about these backyard insects as they make their art. 











I tore a few tiny seeds off these dried flowers and kids stuffed one or two in their pockets so that they could plant them at home. It all might get lost in the laundry but in their imagination, a seed has been planted. 

In second grade we are making a model of a bee using tape, paper, wire and see-through plastic. The objective behind making these small models are to practice the process of combining simple 3d forms to create more complex forms. Once they have this, we can take what we have learned to make our GIANT insects out of recycled materials. 



I had an assortment of wire in class, therefore, you will see quite a variety, from rolled paper, pipe cleaners, colored wire all the way to stiff metallic wire. 



Parents, friends and even neighbors have donated, over the years, tons of materials that I constantly use in the art room. One of those items are sheer plastic sheets, like the kind we use for reports. My colleague, Susan Tremblay, suggested these would make great wings and I am forever grateful to her for such a spot-on suggestion. 











Next, students will cover their entire bee with glue and wait a few days for it to dry and become super stiff. Once stiff, the sculpture will be ready to be painted. Here they are, drying off after a coat (or two) of plain Elmer's glue. 










The next day we used sharpies and paint to add the eyes, wing lines and iconic bee stripes. 








Here they are...ready to dry off for the week. Next week we will work with cardboard to make a hive using hexagons. 




Some final products.