We All Need Trees Art Project

Trees are vital, providing us with oxygen, clean air and water, food, shelter, medicines, and resources, while also supporting biodiversity and mitigating climate change.

My country, Canada, has a vast and abundant forest resource, covering approximately 35% of the country, and containing 9% of the world's forests. Canada is the third-most forested country in the world by area and holds a significant portion of the world's boreal and temperate forests. Across the country, Canadians have deep connections with forests—valuing, managing and using them in different ways. 

Source

For this art project, I challenged my students to illustrate, in any media, why we all need trees. We brainstormed and wrote down ideas. There are so so many!

Clean Air and Water:

Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, improving air quality, and their roots help filter and retain water, improving water quality. 

Climate Change Mitigation:

Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it, helping to combat climate change. 

Soil Conservation: Tree roots help prevent soil erosion, keeping the soil healthy and fertile. 

Wildlife Habitat:

Trees and forests provide habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals, supporting biodiversity. 

Water Cycle Regulation:

Trees help regulate the water cycle by absorbing and releasing water, which can help prevent flooding and droughts. 

Moderating Local Climate:

Trees provide shade, which can help cool down areas, and they can also act as windbreaks, protecting areas from strong winds. 

Food and Resources:

Trees provide us with fruits, nuts, timber, and other resources that are used for food, shelter, and fuel. 

Mental and Physical Health:

Spending time in nature, including among trees, can have positive effects on mental and physical health, reducing stress and improving mood. 

Economic Benefits:

Forests and trees support local economies through tourism, timber production, and other industries. 

Aesthetic and Recreational Value:

Trees and forests provide beauty and recreational opportunities, such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching. 

Students sketched out their ideas on scrap paper. Then created their good copies on 12 x 18" paper. They could use any media they wanted. I love the variety of results!

 

Celtic Knot Drawings

This is a lesson I taught to my Grade 4-6 art class on St. Patrick's day. It is the simplest of Celtic knots, known as the triquetra. A triquetra is an ancient symbol that consists of three overlapping and interconnected arcs that creates a tri-pointed symbol. Essentially, the symbol resembles a three-cornered knot, as all internal arcs look as though there is no beginning or end.

We first watched a video about the ancient Celtic people and then a video about Celtic knots HERE.

I demonstrated how to draw one for my students then they did a small practice one first. 

They really enjoyed the challenge! I also demonstrated how to shade it, so this is a great lesson on value and form.

Some finished Grade 4-6 drawings:

 

Birds of Canada in oil pastel

This is a great lesson to teach oil pastel blending and use of colour. This project focuses on choosing a Canadian bird and drawing and colouring it as realistically as possible. This was taught to Grades 4-6 students. 

I've taught this lesson previously- see their work HERE and HERE. 

I let students research and choose their bird then I print out a colour photo of it. The choose a sheet of construction paper and loosely sketch out the shapes until they're happy with the drawing and the proportions are as accurate as possible. 

Then they colour. We only ever use PENTEL brand oil pastels. 

I encouraged them to lay down the colour really thick, to mix colours, and to create any type of background/habitat they wanted.

Here are the finished artworks plus a slideshow I created :)

 

Stylized Winter Trees in Watercolour

 

This is a popular winter landscape lesson I found years ago HERE on the wonderful Dutch art blog "Kids Artists".

I love this lesson because it incorporates beautiful winter landscapes which my country, Canada, is famous for!  I'm lucky to live near the world famous Rocky Mountains and have done many hikes, including Chester Lake below, in the winter. It's an intense workout (snowshoes and going uphill is not fun, lol) but the views and mountain air are worth it.

So my Grade 4-6 students start by looking at photos of our beautiful winter forests here in Alberta. We discuss the variety of sizes and how trees get smaller as they get further away. 

For this lesson, we are creating stylized winter tress, meaning they are simplified for artistic purposes.

Using watercolour paper (we use Hilroy brand, it's fantastic), students paint it with liquid watercolours and sprinkle on salt. This will be their tree paper. Let dry overnight.

Next class, students use another sheet of watercolour paper and paint a sky of their choice. 

Then they dab on white paint for falling snow. 

Switching to the salt watercolor tree paper, students use a ruler to draw a variety of sizes of triangles for their evergreen trees. Cut out. Then they outline them in gold or silver marker.

Glue these onto the sky paper.

These are always a successful project for all abilities!