Why do we draw?
Today, a dear friend James Armstrong came to visit the 1-2s. While professionally James is an architect, his naturalist hobbies have brought wonderful skills, learning, and exhibits to the students of 1-2 A&M. As part of our ocean study, James brought in two tanks of tide pool creatures and seaweed specimens for the students to observe and draw. Before letting them loose with paper and pencils, James took the time to show the kids the way to really see something - the way you do when you draw it. He taught us there are three reasons to draw: to help ourselves understand something, to explain something to others, and because we just can't help it!
Live specimens of hermit crabs, mussels, barnacles, seaweed, periwinkles, green crabs, tiny shrimp, oysters, and moon jellies were on hand for our students to study, sketch and record observations about. At other stations, magnifying glasses and viewing boxes were used by children to look at some of the critters and plants up close as we drew. And, we had many biofacts (on loan from the New England Aquarium) for kids to take a closer look at with microscopes: baleen from whales, a chambered nautilus shell, a seahorse, a sea sponge, a sea star, coral, a sea urchin set, a chiton shell, a limpet shell, and even a sperm whale tooth. We thought we might even get to see a hermit crab move into a bigger shell, but it was too shy.
Please enjoy the slideshow below of our science naturalist adventure!
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