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Art Inspiring Interest in Nature Art Inspiring Interest in Nature is a curriculum that we created that allows children to explore nature in a unique way through the use of art. We used art as a tool to inspire interest in the environment with the ambition of encouraging children to care for our environment and take care of it. We created a Girl Scout troop that focused on using art as a tool to inspire interest in nature. With our Girl Scout Troop we held 3 field trips to Point Lobos State Reserve that allowed the girls to closely examine their natural surroundings. The projects we did were identification art, bark rubbings and leaf prints so they would reflect upon textures and smaller details found in nature. The girls then completed several landscapes employing the knowlege they gained earlier and using a variety of mediums: watercolor, pencil, chalk pastel, and crayons. We then explored the tide pools here in Monterey. At the tide pools the Scouts learned about what comprises a tide pool and did identification art, a process through which they visually describe the plant and animal species they saw. We later went on a guided tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium where girls learned about our unique oceans edge. Along with our outdoor education meetings we held several in class sessions. Our first meeting was an introduction to the connection of art and nature. Showing slides of artists who have been inspired by their natural surroundings, focusing particularly on Monterey Bay. After several visits to Point Lobos State Reserve we used leaf prints, old paper bags and six pack rings to create a large tree. After our visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we created two comparison dioramas on what makes a healthy and unhealthy tide pool using egg cartons, pipe cleaners, wire, tissue paper, Styrofoam, and paper bags.
Through all our time together the Scouts each created their own repository of artwork. Using the tools we gave them they will be able to add to this repository throughout their continuous exploration of art and nature. We would like to thank the girls who participated in our Girl Scout Troop: Samantha Karinna |
By exploring our natural environment, we gain a compassion for it. Our compassion for the environment began at an early age. As young children we were taught to recycle, conserve resources and respect nature. Public education emphasizes the idea of “reduce, reuse, recycle” without ever bridging the gap of why it is so important. One cannot understand the importance of conservation and care about it if they have no experience with. Our curriculum allows students to slow down and take a closer look at their surroundings. We reached this goal through multiple avenues. 
After our trips to Point Lobos State Reserve we went on a field trip to the Monterey Museum of Art to see the Artist at Continents End exhibit. Here the girls saw paintings of Point Lobos State Reserve, a place where they have been creating art themselves! After viewing the exhibition the Scouts were inspired to sketch a landscape and then paint it while keeping in mind compositional factors and the freedom of expressive colors.
