The Earth Art lessons were introduced at the San Jose, CA Go Green School Conference in 2010 and 2011. At the
conferences, the Earth Art lessons followed a presentation from RAFT.
These earth focused art lessons have been taught to two classes of Ravenswood 6-8th grade students and two City of
Palo Alto summer camps for 5-10 year olds. They were also presented in workshops for Kinder and 1st grade
Ravenswood City School District teachers, Palo Alto Community Child Care teachers and at San Jose and Redwood
City RAFT The lessons are most well received by 1st -7th grade students. I have included ways to modify the lessons,
science facts, and links to environmental organizations.
The visual art projects have motivated my students to argue with their parents about turning off the lights and complain to
their schools about the recycling bins in their classrooms. The Earth Art lessons create environmental motivation through
creativity and students become passionate advocates of change to their parents and their community. It is human to
resist being told what to do and often the list of “green actions” are actions we should do, but are not. Giving students
information about why they should use cloth bags can be motivating or annoying. When students sew and decorate a
cloth bag they are empowered and make a personal choice to take action.
The Earth Art lessons were created from research of what environmental organizations and recycling companies are
trying to get the large population to do. Each art project is based on a specific action that benefits our earth. Reusing
paper to create a sketchbook brings up the question, Why not use new paper? Through the art lessons, teachers have a
way to connect paper reuse with leaving more trees standing and the resulting reduction of global warming and
temperature increase. A simple drawing of a Redwood Tree can lead to talk about native species or the carbon dioxide
and oxygen cycle we share with trees. An art project about endangered species is an opportunity to teach about
deforestation and our choice of farming over rain forest preservation. We can consider the plastic island in the Pacific
Ocean, when we sew our own cloth bag. Our earth has inspired art since the first clay pot and woven basket. It now
inspires us to new creative ways of living.
I was motivated to bring environmental awareness into my art lessons by a Menlo Park school. In 2008, Oak Knoll
Elementary wanted to reduce the amount of trash they generated from school lunches. I was asked to create a trash
dragon sculpture with their students as a way to practice sorting trash, compost, and recycling. The success of this
project inspired me to research and create the Earth Art lessons. I hope to inspire students, teachers, and schools to get
creative, take action and go green.
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