School Year

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Marsha Gilbert
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Living Collection: Succulents Prickly Cactus Grade Level: Pre-K Materials: Construction paper Pre-cut cactus shape Paint Plastic forks About Cacti: A cactus is a member of the succulent family.

1 Living Collection: Succulents Prickly Cactus Grade Level: Pre-K Materials: Construction paper Pre-cut cactus shape Paint Plastic forks About Cacti: A cactus is a member of the succulent family. Cacti come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and many live in extremely dry environments. Succulents are adapted to have thick, fleshy exteriors which hold water. Cacti do not have traditional leaves but instead they have spines which defend against herbivores as well as helping the cactus retain water. Cacti use their large root systems to gather water which is then stored in their stems. Certain cacti produce fruit which can be harvested and eaten. Many cacti grow brightly colored flowers. About the Project: Students will read The Seed & the Giant Saguaro by Jennifer Ward and answer questions about the story. Through the story and discussion, students will learn about cacti. They will discuss the life cycle, physical traits, and habitat of the cactus. Students will pick a piece of colored construction paper for their background and glue their cactus onto the paper. Once the cactus is secured, students will dip their forks in paint and press them onto the paper in order to create the image of prickly spines. If time permits, students can make flowers using tissue paper. Before Your Visit: Discuss how plants grow. You can even bring in many different seed packets for students to explore. Suggested Reading: The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle After Your Visit: Discuss the parts of a plant. Look at many different types of plants and flowers with your students. Students can use brightly colored construction paper to make flowers and printed labels to identify the different parts. On page 3 is a printable coloring page about the parts of a flower. We would love to see how you expand on the lesson offered by Art to Grow! If you do a precursory or follow up activity with your students, please send a description and/or photos to callen@dixon.org. 1

Early Learning Developmental Standards: Visual Arts: Express self and represent what he/she knows, thinks, believes, and feels through visual arts. PK.1.

2 Early Learning Developmental Standards: Visual Arts: Express self and represent what he/she knows, thinks, believes, and feels through visual arts. PK.1. Experiment with a variety of mediums and art materials for tactile experience and exploration. CA.PK.2. Create artistic works with intent and purpose using varying tools, texture, color, and technique. CA.PK.3. Respond and react to visual arts created by self and others. Reading Literature: RL.PK.1. With modeling and support, ask, and answer (respond to) questions about text read aloud. RL.PK.2. With guidance and support, recall important facts to retell a familiar story in sequence. RL.PK.3. With guidance and support, identify major characters, settings, and events from a familiar story or nursery rhyme. Science: S.PK.1. Use senses to gather, explore, and interpret information S.PK.5. Investigate and identify a variety of earth materials by their observable properties (e.g., soil, rocks, minerals). Inspired By: Source: _(4).jpg 2

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Living Collection: Succulents Silhouette Cacti Grade Level: K-2 Materials: Liquid Watercolors Watercolor Paper Glue Black Construction Paper About Cacti: A cactus is a member of the succulent family.

Cacti do not have traditional leaves but instead they have spines which defend against herbivores as well as helping the cactus retain water.

4 Living Collection: Succulents Silhouette Cacti Grade Level: K-2 Materials: Liquid Watercolors Watercolor Paper Glue Black Construction Paper About Cacti: A cactus is a member of the succulent family. Cacti come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and many live in extremely dry environments. Succulents are adapted to have thick, fleshy exteriors which hold water. Cacti do not have traditional leaves but instead they have spines which defend against herbivores as well as helping the cactus retain water. Cacti use their large root systems to gather water which is then stored in their stems. Certain cacti produce fruit which can be harvested and eaten. Many cacti grow brightly colored flowers. About the Project: As a class, students will read Cactus Hotel by Brenda Guiberson and answer questions about the text. Students will learn about cacti. They will discuss the life cycle, physical traits, and habitat of the cactus and will be shown several photographs of different cactus species. Students will be asked to use warm colors to make a desert sunset using liquid watercolors on paper. While their paintings dry, students will use black construction paper to draw and cut out multiple cacti. Towards the end of the session, students will glue their cactus silhouettes onto their paintings to create a desert landscape. Before Your Visit: Discuss the desert ecosystem. Show students examples of animals and plants living in the desert as well as photographs of the terrain. Suggested Reading: Desert Night, Desert Day by Anthony Fredericks After Your Visit: Discuss the many species of snakes living in the desert. Discuss venomous and non venomous and have students describe the colors and patterns of different snakes. Have students create a patterned snake of their own using a pipe cleaner for the body, beads for the pattern, and small wiggle eyes for the finishing touch. The snakes might look something like this: We would love to see how you expand on the lesson offered by Art to Grow! If you do a precursory or follow up activity with your students, please send a description and/or photos to callen@dixon.org. 4

5 Tennessee Academic Standards: Visual Arts: Standard 1.0 Media, Techniques, and Processes: Students will understand and apply media, techniques, and processes. Standard 2.0 Structures and Functions: Students will use knowledge of structures and functions Standard 3.0 Evaluation: Students will choose and evaluate a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas. Standard 6.0 Interdisciplinary Connections: Students will make connections between visual arts and other disciplines. Science: Standard 2-Interdependence: All life is interdependent and interacts with the environment. Standard 4-Heredity: Plants and animals reproduce and transmit hereditary information between generations. Standard 5-Biodiversity and Change: A rich variety of complex organisms have developed in response to a continually changing environment. Inspired By: Source: _(4).jpg 5

Living Collection: Succulents Sand Art Terrariums Grade Level: 3-5 Materials: Model Magic Colored sand Clear plastic containers Markers About Succulents: Succulents are plants which have adapted to

6 Living Collection: Succulents Sand Art Terrariums Grade Level: 3-5 Materials: Model Magic Colored sand Clear plastic containers Markers About Succulents: Succulents are plants which have adapted to have thick, fleshy exteriors which hold water for long periods of drought. Many succulents originate from dry areas such as deserts, semi-deserts, and steppes. Succulents make great houseplants because they need very little maintenance to survive. Many succulents are green but you can also find them in purple, red, pink, orange, and blue! A new succulent can grow from just a small part of another plant. This is called propagating and if you remove a leaf from an existing succulent and replant it, a new plant will grow! About the Project: Students will learn about succulents. They will discuss the life cycle, physical traits, and habitat of the succulent and will be shown several photographs of different succulent species. Students will be asked to use model magic to create a realistic succulent on a miniature scale. They can use markers to color the tips of the succulent leaves. While students are molding their clay succulents, a few students at a time will come back to the "sand station". Students will be given a clear plastic container and will use colored sand to layer a base for their clay succulents. Finally, they will place their succulent on top of the sand to create a finished terrarium. Before Your Visit: Review parts of a plant and the functions of each part with students. Show students a variety of plants and ask students to create a detailed drawing of a plant or flower and label the different parts. After Your Visit: Many succulents originated in the desert. In fact, cacti are types of succulents! Have students research the desert ecosystem in groups. Assign each group a different desert animal or plant. Ask students to look up facts about their topic including diet, physical characteristics, and life cycles. Groups can share their findings with the class. We would love to see how you expand on the lesson offered by Art to Grow! If you do a precursory or follow up activity with your students, please send a description and/or photos to callen@dixon.org. 6

7 Tennessee Academic Standards: Visual Arts: Standard 1.0 Media, Techniques, and Processes: Students will understand and apply media, techniques, and processes. Standard 2.0 Structures and Functions: Students will use knowledge of structures and functions Standard 3.0 Evaluation: Students will choose and evaluate a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas. Standard 6.0 Interdisciplinary Connections: Students will make connections between visual arts and other disciplines. Science: Standard 2-Interdependence: All life is interdependent and interacts with the environment. Standard 4-Heredity: Plants and animals reproduce and transmit hereditary information between generations. Standard 5-Biodiversity and Change: A rich variety of complex organisms have developed in response to a continually changing environment. Inspired By: Source: 7

Living Collection: Succulents Succulent Magnets Grade Level: 6-8 Materials: Polymer clay Adhesive magnets Clay oven Sculpting tools About Succulents: Succulents are plants which have adapted to have

8 Living Collection: Succulents Succulent Magnets Grade Level: 6-8 Materials: Polymer clay Adhesive magnets Clay oven Sculpting tools About Succulents: Succulents are plants which have adapted to have thick, fleshy exteriors which hold water for long periods of drought. Many succulents originate from dry areas such as deserts, semi-deserts, and steppes. Succulents make great houseplants because they need very little maintenance to survive. Many succulents are green but you can also find them in purple, red, pink, orange, and blue! A new succulent can grow from just a small part of another plant. This is called propagating and if you remove a leaf from an existing succulent and replant it, a new plant will grow! About the Project: Students will learn about succulents. They will discuss the life cycle, physical traits, and habitat of the succulent and will be shown several photographs of different succulent species. Students will be asked to use polymer clay to create a specific species of succulent on a miniature scale. Once their succulent is complete, the Art to Grow instructor will bake the clay in a portable oven. Once the clay is hardened students will add a magnet to the back of their sculptures. Before Your Visit: Show students several examples of succulents. Discuss the parts of the plant. Ask students to create a scientific drawing of a succulent in preparation for the sculpture they will make during Art to Grow. After Your Visit: Succulents have adapted to fit their dry, hot climate. Have students divide into groups and assign each group a different geographical region. Ask students to research the plant and animal life in that region and to discover how they have adapted to the climate. Compare and contrast the living things in each region as a class. We would love to see how you expand on the lesson offered by Art to Grow! If you do a precursory or follow up activity with your students, please send a description and/or photos to callen@dixon.org. Tennessee Academic Standards: Visual Arts: Standard 1.0 Media, Techniques, and Processes: Students will understand and apply media, techniques, and processes. Standard 2.0 Structures and Functions: Students will use knowledge of structures and functions 8

9 Standard 3.0 Evaluation: Students will choose and evaluate a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas. Standard 6.0 Interdisciplinary Connections: Students will make connections between visual arts and other disciplines. Science: Standard 2-Interdependence: All life is interdependent and interacts with the environment. Standard 4-Heredity: Plants and animals reproduce and transmit hereditary information between generations. Standard 5-Biodiversity and Change: A rich variety of complex organisms have developed in response to a continually changing environment. Inspired By: Source: 9

Garden Lesson: Patterns in Plant Growth Season: Spring Grades: 4 th, 5 th & 6 th Grade

Garden Lesson: Patterns in Plant Growth Season: Spring Grades: 4 th, 5 th & 6 th Grade Ohio Science Concept 4 th Grade: Earth s living history- Environmental change 5 th Grade: Interactions with Ecosystems 6 th Grade: Cellular to multicellular: Modern Cell Theory Garden Lesson: Patterns