Another fabulous, yet brutally hot day for the Urban Rangers! We unfurled our t-shirts to reveal tye-dye spirals, worked on the birdbath, did some weeding and planting, LOTS of searching for creatures and referencing books, and the biggest hit of the morning by far, was painting en plein air!
"Plein air is a term derived from the French phrase en plein air, which literally means 'in the open air'. It's a familiar concept today, but in the late 1800s when the Impressionists ventured out of their studios into nature to investigate and capture the effects of sunlight and different times of days on a subject, it was quite revolutionary."
We began this activity with two easels and by the end of the morning we had added 3 additional easels due to the popularity and focused concentration of the artists. They each began with an idea, then a pencil sketch, followed by watercolors and some chose to outline shapes in black Sharpie marker. Beautiful work by everyone!
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| work in progress |
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| Data collection continued today. We reviewed yesterday's results first, which revealed an overwhelming number of roly poly sightings. Who will be the big winner tomorrow? |
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| organizing our leaf print stones |
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| Today a group of Rangers decided to dig deep in search of worms and whatever they could find. At the end of our time outside, Rangers filled in the hole to restore the area for it's inhabitants. |
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| birdbath work |
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| planting more marigold seeds |
Rangers were once again so deeply engaged and focused in their work outside that we extended our planned time, and decided to skip nature journaling for the day. To our amazement, several Rangers expressed disappointment in this choice, but we had to make a cut somewhere in order to allow enough art room time. We are so excited that the routine--even though it is only 3 days old!!!- was appreciated by the Rangers, and the fact that the activity of nature journaling itself was clearly meaningful. We hope Rangers will continue this practice as it is a wonderful way to calm your mind and connect with nature. Here are some great resources to keep nature journaling going at home:
Just a note: I use the practice of nature journaling with my college education students and it has proven to be one of the most powerful learning experiences for the majority of my students every semester! It's not just for kids! Parents, give it a try for yourself!
You do know a Ranger who can guide you in the process!
So far this week we have considered spirals in nature and in art. Today's Art Room activities included considering spirals from a mathematical perspective and introducing the Fibonacci sequence. After introducing the pattern in flower petals, Rangers were challenged to look at the numbers and try to figure out the pattern. There were many guesses and it was Nathan who figured it out first! And he did it pretty quickly too! Mr. G himself forgot the pattern and was too stumped to offer a guess!
Here is what the Rangers got as a clue:
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, ?
Any guesses???? Here's a link to a cool you tube video on Fibonacci and spirals that we watched, and that also may explain why your Ranger may pause next time s/he encounters a pinecone or pineapple!
Rangers used air dry clay to make one of the most popular creatures of the courtyard: the roly poly, also known as the pill bug, or potato bug. Mr. G demonstrated basic sculpting techniques and the Rangers showed great creativity in adding a variety of antennae and body features.
Rangers also created tin insects to decorate the courtyard for parent visitors using aluminum cake pans, ballpoint pens, Sharpies, and wood skewers.
Work also continued on the "Pokemon"-inspired insect identification cards,
and now even include birds!
We are sad that tomorrow is our last day, but are very excited to share our week experience with family members! It's been a great week!
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| painting en plein air by Shane |
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