Painting Bark, Exploring Its Texture

Kitah Gimmel has been learning about the different parts of the tree, the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves, and the important jobs that each does for the tree. For example, the trunk protects the tree, the roots slurp up rain from the ground, and the leaves allow the tree to breath.

On Tuesday, we gathered around the two large trees in the yard, and talked about them.

Morah Goldie shows the roots of an indoor plant that outgrew its container

We understand facts about our world through direct experience within it, so what better way to learn about trees than to spend some quality time with our trees?

An art activity allowed us to get a deeper understanding of the properties of bark-- we felt it and observed its rough texture. We then got a sense of its visual texture by making prints of this bumpy surface. 

The first step of making any print, is using paint to cover a surface. We got to work adding patches of (washable) paint to our trees. 

 

Next, we took sheets of thin manila paper, and pressed them over the areas of painted tree, being careful to flatten our hands, and smooth the paper over all of the lumps and bumps of bark. Some were surprised that the bark even poked little holes in their paper! 

When we peeled away the paper, we saw the marks that were made by the tough ridges in the bark.
By doing this art activity, we got an even deeper knowledge of the strength and importance of a tree's bark. These types of activities allow us to get to know nature in new and meaningful ways!