Nature-Inspired Buildings In First Grade

There are certain practices that make The Foundations School different. One of those practices is our commitment to arts integration. Arts integration is when students learn an academic subject alongside an artistic skill, enhancing a student’s understanding of both topics. At The Foundations School, we practice arts integration every day.

One recent project took place in our first grade class. While learning about natural science, students were tasked with designing a building based on something in nature. Students were assigned a random component of nature, such as a giraffe, a pineapple, and a seashell. After sketching the nature element, students picked out visual art elements such as line, shape, color, and pattern that they could use to design their buildings.

Once they had their elements, our first grade students designed their buildings. First, they drew their buildings and made any necessary changes. Then, they used craft items to actually build models of their projects. They created cars and trees for reference of scale.

This project showed off the creative sophistication of even our youngest students. In just first grade, not only were they able to draw artistic elements from nature, but they were able to take an idea, put that idea on paper, and then transform that into a real, 3-D model.

At The Foundations School, we ensure that students practice creativity every day. Projects like this incorporate many academic and artistic skills, and give students a fun, unique approach to learning. You can learn more about recent creative projects here.

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