Mural Painting at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Program Agenda

1. Welcome and Introduction to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (10-10:10): Meet the program facilitators and Park Rangers, review outdoor classroom guidelines, and introduce the concept of murals and group art projects.

2. Mural Briefing & Materials Distribution (10:10-10:20 minutes): Students will be given a description of the specific mural that they will be creating as a team. Students will then be shown the paints and materials.

3. Guided Walking Tour/Observation Collection (10:20-10:40 minutes): Students will be given an observation notebook and a writing utensil, which they will take with them on a short guided walking tour of the park to write down ideas for what they’d like to include in the mural Tours will be led by Friends Staff and NPS Rangers, and will allow students to get familiar with our ecosystem, as well as share facts about the park’s history, including key historical figures.

4. Guided Mural Painting(10:40-11:30): Students will be briefed on what materials are available to them, how to use them, and where to find them, i.e. paints, brushes, water cups, etc. Students will use what they learned during their walks to create their own additions to the mural. Students may choose to work in small teams to paint images, or work alone, with the goal being that many different elements of the gardens are reflected in the mural.

5. Share Creations (11:30-11:45): Once painting time has concluded, students will share what they created and what inspired them. Students can share anything else they notice about the group’s mural, or anything else they may have learned.

6. Wrap up & Clean up (11:45-12:00): Work with Friends Staff and NPS Rangers to clean up, and thank everyone for joining us.

7. Optional tour and free exploration time of the Helen Fowler Room, where students can view Helen’s painting, to compare and contrast with their own art project.