Level: Form II (4th–6th grades), Form III (7th–9th grades), Form IV (10th–12th grades)
Subject(s): Art/Art Appreciation, Panorama, Science/Nature Study
Description:
This class invites students to learn how to slow down and to attend to nature through observation, asking questions, research, and drawing. After a short drawing lesson and nature reading, students will study a landscape or an object from nature to capture in a nature journal. On every “tolerably fine day,” students will be encouraged to take their journals outdoors to explore, observe, and record details from trees, flowers, bushes, birds, insects, rocks, or any other natural creation that intrigues them. When weather prevents outdoor time, the instructor will bring specimens into the classroom for study.
While students will gain experience working with a variety of drawing mediums such as graphite, charcoal, pen, pastels, and watercolor, the focus of the time will be on sketching with graphite and brush drawing with watercolor. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to present and share nature journaling pages they completed outside of class on their own.
The teacher will be referencing Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study, Peterson Texas Field Guides, various living nature books, and John Muir Laws’ How to Teach Nature Journaling during class.
This class meets every other week for Form 2 and Forms 3-4, alternating with Art Explorations (Form 2) and Handicrafts (Forms 3-4).
Materials:
Families purchase the following required supplies:
- A student nature journal such as a spiral-bound Strathmore Visual Watercolor Journal or any hard back watercolor journal.
- A good quality watercolor paint set such as the Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Paint Sketchers’ Pocket Box
- Pencils, colored pencils, and erasers in a pencil pouch
- Big binder clips, to keep papers from blowing away while working outdoors
- Any other favorite drawing utensils
