Lions and birds and squirrels—oh my! In this virtual program, students search for animals as they explore Hillwood’s art through playful looking activities, led by a museum educator via live video chat. Students will create their own drawings inspired by the art and will cultivate their observational and perceptual skills as they practice detecting and identifying animals depicted on art.
After completing this program students will be able to:
• Detect and identify animals depicted on art
• Identify some special features or characteristics of certain animals that help us to identify the animal, such as a giraffe’s long neck, an elephant’s trunk, and a lion’s mane
• Create an animal drawing based on close observation
Program agenda:
1. Welcome to Hillwood and the program; discuss that we are going on an animal art safari–a journey to find animals in their habitat, or home
2. Identify several animals that live in the African savanna; move like the different animals (turn your arm into an elephant trunk… roar like a lion… run like the cheetah…); notice that each animal has something special that helps it survive in its habitat
3. Play a game to spot 4 differences between a painting of a bird, and an altered version of the painting
4. After closely observing a picture of a bird, students create their own bird drawings; students will have the opportunity to share their drawings with the group
5. Discuss how animals have characteristics that an artist may use to share a message—for example, squirrels work hard to crack open nuts, so an artist put a squirrel design on a cup to show the idea of hard work/determination/perseverance; and/or examine a painting of a knight fighting a dragon to discover how art can be used to tell a story
6. Students identify an animal that has a characteristic that they have themselves—for example if the student likes to swim, they may choose a dolphin or fish, or if the student runs fast they may choose a cheetah; if time allows, students will draw a picture of the animal they chose… if not enough time for a drawing activity, students will share their ideas through conversation/discussion
Students have the opportunity to ask questions and have their questions answered in real time, throughout the program.
Program facilitators use inquiry-based discussions to engage students in exploring art.