STO Earth Day Art Project?

ScarletBegonias

ScarletBegonias

Dagobah Resident
Hi All,

I'm a high school art teacher and I've got a new project idea for my students that I want to run by members of this forum to get some input on. Please feel free to offer suggestions on how I can improve my lesson, or even create a different project entirely that's still based the same theme and requires inexpensive materials.

For the past few years I've been wanting to do an Earth Day project with my students, but I just haven't been able to think of something cool that IMO they'd actually be interested in doing. A few friends suggested that I have the students make artwork out of "found" objects, but I can envision such a project getting expensive very quickly, with the cost of certain glues, paints, etc, potentially being required. Unfortunately, this year our art department is the poorest it's ever been and I'm focusing on using materials sparingly, so such a project just wouldn't work, for now anyway.

My project idea would be to create a collage for my classroom door out of post-it notes that my students have drawn on. Each student would be given a neon-colored post-it note and a black ink pen. They would be required to create designs that send messages to the world regarding what they plan to do, or are currently doing, to make the world a better place. I would also plan to have my TA use a glue stick to glue the post-it notes to butcher paper in a heart-shaped design that I've already sketched out on graph paper. The collage would be posted up on my door during Earth Week.

I really like my idea so far, but I'm not sure exactly what verbiage I would want to use for the "what you plan to do to make the world a better place" part of the directions. I also think I'd be requiring a drawing and having text be an optional addition to their designs. In addition, I would really want to emphasize the importance of STO mentality with this project.

Well, this is as far as I've come with my idea. Please let me know if you can offer any input and thanks in advance for the brainstorming help! :)
 
Children are great at coming up with creative ideas and if they're not invalidated, they can bring amazing motivation to the task! Why not give them the parameters and then ask them for ideas?

Personally, I'd like to hear about what they come up with! :)
 
Scarlet said:
I really like my idea so far, but I'm not sure exactly what verbiage I would want to use for the "what you plan to do to make the world a better place" part of the directions. I also think I'd be requiring a drawing and having text be an optional addition to their designs. In addition, I would really want to emphasize the importance of STO mentality with this project.
Click to expand...
I agree with Bud that they may not need any technique or direction in particular just motivation and freedom to be themselves.

Maybe you can make an intro telling them that today, you just would like for them all to think about what is wrong with our world and what they would like to see happen, the name of this activity could be "Creating a new world".

I would also give them freedom to do it as better it feels to them, some may prefer drawing, while others would express themselves better writting.

It's good to know there are teachers like you out there! :)
 
Hi Scarlet,

First off: wonderfull project!

Since most people have a mobile with camera nowadays, you could send them all out to photograph a particular spot that means something to your students personally - something they would want to preserve or to rescue or to revel about or whatever. Afterwards you could fill up your paper heart with the results and hang it on your door. FWIW.
 
Thanks Bud! I think that it's a great idea to ask my students what they think about this art project, especially since it's a brand new one. I've asked random students for project ideas before, but I've never asked the entire class at once. I think I'm going to run by my post-it note collage idea with them and I think they're going to like it too..:D I'm excited..:) Also, my mom just went to an office supply store and bought me the hundreds of colorful post-it notes I would need for this, so I really hope they do like it, lol..;P

Ana said:
Maybe you can make an intro telling them that today, you just would like for them all to think about what is wrong with our world and what they would like to see happen, the name of this activity could be "Creating a new world".

I would also give them freedom to do it as better it feels to them, some may prefer drawing, while others would express themselves better writting.

It's good to know there are teachers like you out there! :)
Click to expand...

Thanks Ana! I teach drawing and painting, which is why I was pushing for the "include a drawing" part of the lesson, but I think that so long as the students write the words in a creative way, (however they want to interpret "creative"), that would be just fine too then..:)

And thank you, Palinurus, For your ideas supportive remarks! I like the idea of having them look around town for ideas on how things could be improved. This is a great idea, IMO!

Okay, so I've got some more thinking to do! ;D Thanks again, everyone! Oh, and I will post the collage door on here if the project ends up working out..;)
 
Hi everyone, I am in the middle of this project in my classes now and think it's coming along rather smoothly for the first run-through of a project that I just whipped together. I think I'll post a picture of my classroom door in this thread in the coming weeks, actually, because if all the post-it notes come together as planned, it'll be a bright, colorful and radiating heart-shaped collage of post-its full of artwork and phrases that "visually illustrate with words, symbols and drawings how we can make the world a better place." Two decorative, colorful banners that say, "Happy Earth Week," and "'Be the change you want to seek in the world.' -Gandhi," will be hung around it.

Well, I'm not just writing to update you all about the project. I'm writing because I want to find a "cool" movie to show my public high school students that discusses general problems facing our world. It would have to be appropriate for teenagers and also for a public high school setting. If I can't think of a good movie they're just not going to watch one and Avatar isn't going to cut it for my class. Well, I need to figure this out by tomorrow so if someone can think of one, then that's awesome and I'll rent it ASAP or offer extra credit for a student to bring it on Thursday. But if it doesn't work this year, it's no biggie, but maybe I will show one next year if I do the project again.

Thanks in advance for the help brainstorming! ;)
 
Sounds fresh and fun, hope you luck. :P

This is good for everyone right now, if you could take photos do it so you may save the experience.

:lol: It sounds fun because here in my school, the focus is on the profesional growth on the minds of the people, and they talk about values but how to put them in practice with events they make that do not relate with those values.
 
Hi Scarlet,

Nice to hear from you again and with such wonderfully positive outcomes as well! I'm not much of a filmbuff nowadays, but since you are sort of in a hurry on this one you might have a fast look through this board: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?board=29.0 to see if you can find a usefull suggestion over there - including reviews and such. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the support and suggestions here, Cubbex and Palinurus! :D Just a few minutes ago I got to see part of the collage constructed, because my TA started putting it together last period before lunch and it looks so pretty already! :cool:

So, I've decided to move on to a linear perspective project for now, but I still do want to think of a good movie for next year for this project. It's tough, because there is so much information I desperately want to share with them regarding the countless problems facing our world, but if I want to keep my job as a public high school teacher I've got to filter what I share..:/
 
Hello everyone, I became ill in early April and am now in the process of recovering, so please excuse my delayed reply here, but I wanted to show you all a picture of the door design we created:) We got it up on Friday, April 22nd for Earth Day and I left it on our door for about three weeks. Not one student tagged on the creation, but lots of people stopped at the door to read the notes. I was very pleased that this project came out the way it did and I look forward to designing post-it note collages with varying themes in the future. Thank you again for offering me input about this project while it was in the development stages! :)
 
I like the way you made a shape of big heart with colourful post it notes.
Great work and it's creative! I would stop and read the notes as well if I pass by. ;)
 
This project came out beautifully! I really do regret we cannot read the messages from this picture. I'm really curious as to what your pupils came up with. The overall result certainly looks inviting to 'take note of it' more closely. I'm not surprised at all that so many passers by would halt for a moment to have a peek at what this is all about. Sincere congratulations with your success.
 
That looks beautiful! What a wonderful project to have, especially with young kids. I wish there would be more teachers like you that would emphasize the importance and value of mother Earth and how to take care of her better.

Congratulations to u and ur students! :hug2:
 
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