Description

Art of Botany marries the scientific exploration of a high school-level botany course with a complete botanical drawing class. However, what students really walk away with is a commitment to being cooperative, contributing, mutualistic members of our environment and communities.

Using the student manual, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, students will take a deep dive into the inner workings of the Plantae and Fungi kingdoms while applying their newly obtained knowledge to their understanding of their relationship with the world in which we live. Where do we live and how do we impact our environment? What do we eat and how does our food get on our table? All of this learning is augmented by a burgeoning appreciation for the delicate beauty of the botanical world as students are guided step-by-step on the elements of art (line, shape, form, color, tone, texture, and space) and how to execute botanical illustrations.

This course can be accomplished in home or in a class setting. Manuals include lesson plans, pages for vocabulary, reading questions to ponder and discuss, comprehension questions, and supplemental activities. In addition, students will spend the year completing a G.R.O.W. project which stands for Get out (in nature), Record, Observe, and Wonder. In this project, students will:

1. Complete a botanical sketchbook with 100 illustrations 2. Compile a plant scrapbook with 40 specimens 3. Do a mother/earth comparison 4. Care for and record observations about 2 plants 5. Write a paper about how humans can be beneficial to the earth 6. Maintain a nature journal 7. Go on 4 nature hikes 8. Read and Discuss Braiding Sweetgrass 9. Read and discuss Animal, Vegetable, Miracle 10. Complete a rain collection activity

You can learn more details about this enriching curriculum below: