Category: Observation

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Added Value

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“Drawing is based upon perspective, which is nothing else than a thorough knowledge of the function of the eye.”     -Leonardo DaVinci

We are designed to see and understand an object based on the relationship between the play of light and dark on its surface. Value is the term used to describe the lightness or darkness of an object. As light is reflected off objects, we interpret its attributes. When we draw a three-dimensional object in two dimensions, we are creating an illusion.

Over the years I’ve encouraged many a child to “look closely” by developing a specific Habit of Being—the Observation Journal. 

It is always best to begin observational drawing exercises by encouraging the Observer to see the contours or the “lines” of an object. To capture natural organic lines on the page is a lovely skill.

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As soon as this becomes a comfortable task, its time to encourage the Observer to look beyond lines that five the object its flat shape toward a close observation of the light and darks of an object. To accomplish this task, begin with a light contour adding a light value or tone by smudging then adding patches of medium darks and dark darks according to what the seer is seeing. The transformation is simple and stunning!

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And it’s never too early or too late to start. A six-year-old executed these drawings of the wonderfully sea-tumbled mollusk. Anyone can add value to an observation. 

-Kim

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I’m Thankful for Sandra. What about You?

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This is not a typical high school project.

This is a watercolor composition, a gift from a friend.

This is the prized possession that hangs in my kitchen with Mona Lisa’s ubiquitous gaze following my paces patiently, “Kim, you can.”

Lore has it that Sandra’s high school watercolor teacher offered an automatic “A” to anyone in the class who anyone who could paint an egg—a trememdously difficult task to accomplish well.

Now I’ve never imagined this teacher’s comment as a dare, but rather something more like an Eeyore-under-the-breath-utterance that he hoped might someday come to pass. I’ve never imagined snarky, or cynical, but more someting akin to longing, the longing to motivate.

And I’ve never imagined Sandra’s tackling of this teacher’s offering as anything other than a response to the Muse, a delighted response to the spark of imagination. Sandra simply said, “I can.”

The sheer whimsy of the composition is my proof. There is not one guile puddle in sight.

Thing is, you might look at this painting and respond, “No, I can’t.”

But you probably said that about tying your shoe, reading The Cat in the Hat, or adding five apples and three plums. But you can, right?

Not all children will grow up to paint like Sandra. Not all children will grow up to hypothesize like Einstein.

But many children who might have will not because they are not inspired to try. All children have precious potential. And this is why I spend my days encouraging children to press into their important work.

Children who are encouraged to engage in the right kind of practice over time develop Habits of Being and habits of being give us the gumption to say, “Yes! Yes, I can!.”

Who would have imagined that, all these years later, a teacher’s nudge and Sandra’s creative response would continue to resonate, “You can.”

I’m so thankful for my dear friend Sandra.

-Kim

 

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Da Vinci Summer V: How to Observe a Caterpillar

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“Let us dig our furrow in the fields of the commonplace.” Jean-Henri Fabre

Children become science-minded by exploring their observations of the world around them. Science is much more than facts in a textbook. Facts are only a fraction of the picture. Science is a process that allows us to discover how the world works.

I remember one summer my brother being fascinated with caterpillars. One, in particular stands out in my mind. His name was Ralph. Yes, Ralph the caterpillar. My brother kept the fuzzy creature in a Stride Rite shoebox nested with a handful of twigs and torn leaves. What I remember most about the brief time that Ralph spent in my brother’s observation box before being set free, was my brother’s focused attention, magnifying glass in hand. While he did not keep a record of his observations, I know that my brother was honing his curiosity. But, I must admit, I’ve often wondered what his Observation Journals would have contained. How fun it would be to look back on an archive of his curiosity.

All four of my children have numerous journals of this sort and it is wonderful to look back and recognize the diversity and specificity of their unique observations.

Here is how to begin an Observation Journal:

Materials:

  • A binder to collect completed observations
  • Cardstock for drawing
  • Lined paper for writing
  • Pencil
  • Colored Pencils
  • Chalk Pastel
  • Thick and thin waterproof markers
  • Watercolor Pencils
  • Watercolor
  • Magnifying Glass

1. Look at the subject for a while.
  Look at what you are observing. Pick the object up, turn it around, use a magnifying glass to see texture and detail. Take your time and try to throw out any preconceived notions about the subject.

2. Talk about what is seen.
 Join the fun by engaging children in conversation about the details of the object being observed.

3. Draw the object with realistic detail.
 Encourage children to look at the lines, textures, and shapes. Have them think about proportions as they translate the three dimensional object to a 2-dimensional object on paper. When the drawing is complete, have them think about the color of the object and try to match the colors as close to the real thing as possible.

4. Read about the object.
 Find a book or internet article to find facts about the object being observed. Suggest that notes on a topic wheel might help to organize ideas.

5. Explore the object’s potential.
 What did you learn? What importance does the object hold in our world?

6. Write about the object. 
Combine and convey information gained through direct observation and research.

When children observe they utilize diverse reasoning modes that will, in turn, cultivate their ability to engage in the art of learning.

Why not begin the Observation Journaling with a caterpillar? Taking Fabre’s advice to heart, no need to travel to observe nature! Step out into your own backyard in search of a caterpillar or two. And, if need be,  transplant a caterpillar from the World Wide Web via your printer!

Provide your child with some colored pencils, a pitcher of ice water, and a cozy backyard perch. Curiosity will do the rest.

Here’s to Da Vinci Summer V, eyes open!

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Caterpillars in Micropolis

“We frequently see, at the ends of pine branches, voluminous bags of white silk intermixed with leaves. These bags are, generally, puffed out at the top and narrow at the bottom, pear-shaped. They are sometimes as large as a person’s head. They are nests where live together a kind of very velvety caterpillars with red hairs. A family of caterpillars, coming from the eggs laid by one butterfly, construct a silk lodging in common. All take part in the work, all spin and weave in the general interest. The interior of the nest is divided by thin silk partitions into a number of compartments. At the large end, sometimes elsewhere, is seen a wide funnel-shaped opening; it is the large door for entering and departing. Other doors, smaller, are distributed here and there. The caterpillars pass the winter in their nest, well sheltered from bad weather. In summer they take refuge there at night and during the great heat.”

–Jean Henri Fabre on the Processionary Caterpillar

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So begins the march of the Processionary Caterpillar. While children’s author/illustrator Eric Carle might say, “Out pops a very hungry caterpillar,” in this particular case, out pops, single file, not one, but a large family of very hungry caterpillars.

When Fabre observed this caterpillar’s strong instinct to follow-the-leader, its steps locked to the caterpillar being followed, he decided to hypothesize and to test his big idea by setting up a simple experiment. In 1896, he coaxed caterpillars to march in a chain around a flowerpot. And there they circled for days. Round and round and round.

And what did he observe?

Not even food set inches from their proverbial noses distracted the caterpillars from their mindless following.

There was no leader.

And so the caterpillars earned their name.

Scientific observation involves much more than seeing. Providing opportunities for students to observe allows them to practice such skills as collecting, predicting, constructing, perceiving. The art of observation helps  students to risk and ultimately lead.

Jean Henri Fabre’s acute backyard observations laid the foundation for entomology. His earnest observations and insights are collected in ten volumes entitled Souvenirs Entomologiques.

Micropolis, at St Léons, France, is a wonderful destination dedicated to etymology and Fabre’s contribution to this significant branch of science.

Ever marveling at the power of the neologism, I clicked around on the World Wide Web until I came across the Micropolis website. Unfortunately I don’t read, write, or speak French. Still I couldn’t help but poke around a bit as I pondered the word—Micropolis.

And then it struck me.

What a wonderful testament to Fabre. In a single word—Micropolis—the museum communicates the life of a man dedicated to unearthing the diversity of nature in his own backyard.

Da Vinci Summer 2014 is only weeks away. Join the fun as we conjure big ideas for observing the small worlds brimming with diversity that we take for granted, the simple spaces in our very own backyard. Let’s think small. After all, the Renaissance Man himself reminds us, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

—Kim

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Embroidering Audubon


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“I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their peculiar habits, or delineating them in the best way I could.” – John James Audubon

Observation is a powerful skill. Not too long ago we were able to check out bird specimens from our local natural history museum. Sadly they've discontinued this service, but not before we were able to closely observe, sketch, and research more than a dozen species indigenous to our neck of the woods. Simultaneously, we studied the life work of Audubon. As we read, we embroidered original drawings of the birds we were researching.

This past spring, my daughter Hannah graduated from college. As she was a music performance and composition major, she had to write a significant body of original music. All of her music is experimental—Composition for Piano and Toy Piano, Piano and Hands, and so on. But it was the piece that she chose to play at her senior recital that made me smile, no doubt a nod to all the Observation Journal activities from her home school years.

This is what she has to say about composing the piece, entitled BirdTree:

I was inspired to write BirdTree when I stumbled across a video of a man who had created a record player that “plays” slices of tree trunks. The sound was transmitted as though a piano unlocks the music of the tree. In a thrift store, I discovered a book entitled, Field Birds and their Songs. These tools helped me imagine the diverse music of nature and inspired me to compose BirdTree. Reflecting now, all that luxurious time observing birds from the museum up close and personal on our own kitchen table must have somehow informed BirdTree. Without doubt this piece is a nod to Audubon! For this composition real melodies of birds are mixed with my personal interpretations of what different trees might sound like if I were wandering and listening to the forest like Audubon. You can hear a mighty oak, a sturdy elm, a weeping willow, and a tall pine interacting with a black and white warbler, the American robin, the blue jay, and the song sparrow. This piece is meant to echo the ethereal of forest life.

It is amazing how the past is stitched to the future. 

– Kim

Listen to BirdTree

BirdTree


 

 Further Reading:
Into the Woods: John James Audubon Lives His Dream, Robert Burleigh
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon, Jaqueline Davies

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Learn to Read: Be a Copycat

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There are many things that can only be said without words. Yes, without words.

This summer we launched a visual literacy campaign inside my guild. We began with observational exercises. I call this close looking. The goal is to discover and decode the phonics of visual art—line, texture, value, shape, color. We began with Paul Klee.

Paul Klee wanted his make-believe faces to be truer than true ones. He wanted to portray complex emotions in his simple paintings, not just what the eye is able to see on the outside. Head of a Man, Going Senile or Senecio, is a perfect painting to learn just how he accomplished this task.

Spend some time exploring Klee's original.

Always use art vocabulary to guide the observation:
What is the personality of the lives in the painting?
What geometric shapes do you see?
Is the composition symmetrical or asymmetrical?
Is the texture smooth or rough?
Are the values bright or dull?
Is the color warm or  cool?
Is the portraiture realistic or abstract?

This particular work was painted in 1922 while Paul Klee was teaching at the Bauhaus in Welmar. The painting now resides in the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland.

Klee is famous for his experiments with bold color. In this painting, notice how the variations of color in the face contrast with each other and how the combined facial colors contrast with the bright orange background. Look closely, notice how the hot red eyes seem to jump off the canvas.

The simple, flat construction of the shapes is child-like—quintessential Klee. Klee used simple geometry to communicate complex mood and this is what makes his art unique.

The colors in this painting are warm and the shapes are simple. But this doesn't mean the composition is simple. Quite the contrary, the warm colors are complex, the simple shapes are constructed in a simply complex manner. And the best way to discover this complexity is to slow down, read the painting closely, and make a copy.

To copy the abstract face you will need:
– Canvas
– Brushes
– Acrylic Paints
– Water
– Paper Towels

Tips:
1. Begin by mixing little tubs of paints that match the canvas, set aside.
2. Sketch Head of a Man onto the canvas lightly with pencil, paying careful attention to think proportionally.
3. Block in the colors using the paint in a thin manner with a bit more water.
4. Layer paint using a dry brush technique until the desired effect is achieved.

A close study of an abstract work of art takes time, cultivates patience and a host of wonderful character traits in the apprentice. But the most important benefit of a close reading of a painting such as this is the discovery that each line, each stroke of color, each simply constructed shape is certain phonics with vast potential to speak.

– Kim

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Look!

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One week into the adventure, our errands accomplished, we were still in the van at twilight. Moving to the city was not what my husband and I had envisioned for our family, but food on the table is always a good thing! As we loaded our boxes into the U-haul we promised each other to look on the bright side of the concrete, but that particular night, after fighting traffic for 45 minutes, there was a shortage of positive thoughts. Rounding the corner into our brand new neighborhood I think it was Liam, then an animated three-year-old, who was first to spot them, “Mommy, look!” I slowed the van to a whispering tiptoe. In hushed tones, we watched as a mama raccoon and her kit crossed the street, “Wildlife in the city!” This was the moment we began to feel at home. From that day on we kept our eyes wide open, documenting our discoveries in the Observation Journal.

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We’ve been city dwellers for nearly twelve years now. This past weekend our country folk friends ventured to the city to celebrate the beginning of fall. On Saturday, we were just about to begin breakfast when we heard a great commotion. We ran to the yard to find a murder of crows mobbing a Great Horned Owl snoozing in our tree. While I must admit this was an extravagant sighting, I was not surprised. My friends, on the other hand, were flabbergasted by this display of wildlife. Even the neighbors were drawn from their autonomous spaces, cameras and binoculars in hand, to observe the owl and her mortal enemies.

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On Sunday morning Sara collected pellets from the base of the tree, “…a dissection opportunity for the Observation Journal.” And as you can see from the photos, the pellets provided a treasure trove of interesting material for scientific inquiry and discovery…not to mention a lot of ohhs and ahhhs.

The owl and the crows spent the weekend with us, then disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared.

Read more about starting an observation journal in the latest issue of Heart of the Matter's online magazine (see page 22).

Note: Should you not be so fortunate as to have a Great Horned Owl nesting nearby you can find owl pellets readily on the internet.

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Pearls in the Sky

Web

I know this has nothing to do with my usual posts, Home Ec, but I just had to share this little garden delight with you.

Almost everyday when I go into the garden, I run into this very industrious spider's web with my head because I can’t see the intricately woven strands. This spider weaves a web to collect a nightly feast between the branches of my apple tree and the vine on the fence. But it’s always in a slightly different place. I’m sure the neighbors can hear me mumbling a malediction as I plow headlong into it on a daily basis!

Today my attitude changed completely as I was greeted with rain and the miracle and beauty of a web adorned with pearls.

Now, was that web the same yesterday and the day before?

Of course it was!

Isn’t it amazing how just a little shift in perspective changes everything?

– Sara

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Pages From a Third Grade Observation Journal

Almost exactly a year ago we posted about observation journaling (A Closer Look – Part 1 & Part 2). Working on this kind of journal is an important and holistic endeavor that builds science, reasearch, art, and writing skills. At the end of the year, if done with regularity, you'll find it's not only a precious memento of pictures and words but a rich and informed body of work.

Revisit our posts for a how-to, and be inspired by these pages from Hannah's third grade journal. I especially love how she takes note of her "fore frecels." Precious indeed!

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