Nature Art

Here is a book that seems to have some great help for creating art with nature. If your Enduring Idea includes nature, you'll want to use this book as a resource!

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-Martin contends that nature provides us with an abundance of art supplies and she invites readers to make use of these bounties in these 65 projects. She classifies the activities according to the material required: vines, twigs, cones, and moss; gourds, pods, husks, and seeds; clay, stones, sand, and shells; paints, inks, and dyes; flowers and leaves; and stamps, stencils, molds, and seals. Each chapter includes information about historical and ethnic uses for the natural substances. Activities are rated by level of difficulty; all have easy-to-follow instructions. Projects range from baskets, picture frames, wreaths, necklaces, and gift wrap to body paint, amulet bags, and painted stones; from a chess set to shell buttons to an okra pod canoe and people. The projects display a respect for nature and art, and a simple, subtle beauty; they are not the cutesy, stylized projects described in so many contemporary books. Line drawings accompany the numbered steps and charming ink-and-watercolor pictures illustrate the completed projects. Some general crafting techniques are explained. The helpful appendix offers charts on the availability of various materials and their uses and gift suggestions. Bobbe Needham's Ecology Crafts for Kids (Sterling, 1998), which encourages the use of natural craft materials as well as recycled man-made materials, complements this title. Martin's unusual volume will be a great resource for crafters of all ages and abilities.
Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.