Connecting to Nature through Art Strategies for engaging elementary students By Dawn Malosh D
ESPITE EVIDENCE THAT outside activities improve the health, focus, productivity, creativity and sense of well-being of children, most spend
too many hours indoors with little exposure to sunlight and nature. Many children today can readily identify corporate brand names while barely recognizing the animals and plant life in their local region. If we expect this generation of children to serve as responsible eco-literate stewards of the environment, they are going to need meaningful early con- nections to nature. Art activities serve as affective and effective tools to
further enrich, enhance and enlighten the nature experience for students. Art creation itself allows for higher-level cogni- tive, affective and psycho-motor domain attainments from Blooms taxonomy of learning. The study of nature through art allows the “student-artist” to experience, observe, value, analyze, synthesize and express his/her understanding of, and relationship to, nature and the environment. The exami- nation of nature through artistic processes has been a con- stant in the development of artists and scientists throughout culture and history. From the time of the ancient painters of the Lascaux caves, to the artists of the Renaissance and to modern day artists, nature has inspired people to create in order to understand, and praise its wonders. As the great painter Francisco Goya explained, “I have had three masters,
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Nature, Velasquez, and Rembrandt.” We can help young people to learn from this great master too, by inviting them to consciously experience and express their perceptions of its vast and wondrous classroom. For those who are a bit unsure about doing art activities
outside, the following suggestions are intended to help you get started. While geared toward the elementary level, they can be adjusted to other grades and developmental levels.
Finding Nature for Inspiration. Many schools have natu- ral landscapes and parks near them that can be used for the activities provided in this article. For the schools that have limited natural terrain, blacktop playgrounds and small campuses, here are a few suggestions that may help provide fodder for artistic activities.
1. Take children to a nearby park, garden, natural museum or forest.
2. Use resources that bring nature to you. Many local agencies offer free educational outreach that will bring animals, plants and environmental education to your school.
3. Make use of what you have! There is nature present in many unexpected places. Many plants, insects and other animals have made homes right next to humans. Send the children on a nature hunt, and everyone might be pleasantly surprised.
GREEN TEACHER 89
Photographs: Dawn Malosh, Outside Art
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