Leaf Bugs

                                           Leaf Bugs

Today we took a walk outside and collected leaves, flowers, and other plant life. I told the kids to pick a variety of different plants with different colors and sizes. We had been studying insects during the day and had discussed the parts of the insect and how they have six legs, a thorax, an abdomen, antenna and wings. 

Then I told my girls to create their own insects out of the plants they found- We talked about how to create wings, legs, antennae etc. They assembled their insect first to make sure they knew exactly what they wanted them to look like. We used tacky glue and they glued their insect on the paper. 

            We loved how they turned out and was I was impressed with their use of color. 

Organism Drawing from life!

This is a project that I taught my students (middle schoolers) and my girls. Due to the fact that schools are closed for the Coronavirus, I have been teaching my students through an online platform while also designing fun learning activities for my children. It can be a lot to tackle and I feel like I am finally getting the hang of it, although I learn something new everyday!

For this project, I asked my students/kids to collect organisms from around their yard or neighborhood. We talked about choosing live plants, bugs, or even little critters like lizards. We discussed why we chose these particular organisms and what aesthetic qualities they possessed. We talked about colors, textures, forms, or lines that were prominent in the organisms that they chose.

         












We also looked at artwork by the artist Ernst Haeckel who studied organisms and illustrated them.
https://archive.org/details/KunstformenDerNaturErnstHaeckel/page/n1/mode/2up

The goal was to draw the organisms from life paying close attention. to shape, color, value, and texture.

Here are some examples of student work.