Exploring Social Studies and Science Through Seasonal Crafts!
In this ongoing course, we will create seasonal crafts while exploring the historical, environmental and/ or cultural concepts behind them
Alexandria Mertz
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(5)
What's included
1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
In this ongoing course, we will use mostly natural materials and resources to create environmentally, historically and socially significant crafts! Learners do not need any prior knowledge or experience and can join the course at any point. Each week we will explore a different topic in either science, social studies or history and we will create a craft to go along with that topic. The crafts will normally be made from a variety of natural materials and basic crafting materials. Students will have the opportunity to share and discuss the craft with their classmates during each session. Below is a schedule for the next 2 weeks of the course (the materials for each week are listed in the "materials section"): Week of January 9: Astronomy & Constellations Week of January 16: Rainbows Week of January 23: No class this week Week of January 30: Spiders Week of February 6: Bird Feeders Each course will begin with sharing our crafts from the previous lesson. Students are not required to share if they do not want to. If your child did not attend the previous class, they will have the opportunity to see the craft from last week and get a brief overview of the topic. This course does not build on previous lessons, your child does not need to have any prior knowledge of the topic from the previous or current week. The point of the sharing time is to give students a chance to share their work (if they would like) if they attended the previous lesson. After we have finished sharing, we will take a look at our topic for each week with a brief mini-lesson. Following the mini lesson, I will introduce the craft, then students will have the remainder of the class time to start their craft and ask any questions / follow a demo if needed. Each craft will be connected to a specific topic and will allow students to engage in the topic and explore it further through the arts. The following is an example of a break down of the class (week 3): 10 minutes: share crafts from last week, reflect on the topic and review what we learned 10 minutes: learn about the Nazca Lines (where they are located, who made them, their significance, etc.) 10 minutes: introduce Nazca Lines sand craft, quick demo 20 minutes: complete the craft individually. Students can share, chat and discuss ideas with one another (they will have the opportunity to be social during this part of the lesson and interact with their classmates) This course is intended to be a light and fun way be introduced to a variety of topics about history, the environment and social studies through the arts. I hope to teach students about the importance of the environment and the many uses for natural materials that can be found all around us. I often teach cross-curricular subjects because it allows students to explore topics in greater depth and gives them a greater understanding and appreciation of the topics. This course will be highly engaging for the students. They will have the opportunity to share with me as well as their classmates. I hope to make this an very enjoyable, fun and engaging course. My teaching style is very relaxed and patient. I love to interact with my students and hear their opinions and thoughts on the topics that we cover. I like to leave a lot of time for discussion between students as well. Social Development theory states that students learn best through interacting with their peers and I strongly agree with this. I believe that students learn best when they are having fun, so if your child enjoys art, this class should be very informative and enjoyable for them! Please contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have about this course. I am an extremely flexible educator and have no problem accommodating the needs of my students. I hope to see you in class soon! *This course follows seasonal materials available during the Northern Hemisphere's seasons (specifically Canada), but students from the Southern hemisphere are always welcome to join and use the materials available at the time. Please let me know if there are any concerns over availability of materials and we will figure out how to adjust the craft to include your child.
Learning Goals
Students will learn about a variety of topics in history, social studies and the environment. This class aims to teach them about the importance of nature through crafts by using natural materials. Students will learn that nature can be used in a number of creative ways and that we have so many natural craft materials all around us. We will learn about how the different seasons bring different materials and how we can use those materials in art. The crafts will often teach the students about history or social studies by looking at the different groups of people creating certain crafts throughout history and why they created these crafts. This course will help students appreciate history and culture and will bring a fun and educational approach to cross-curricular art projects.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Students may occasionally need parental supervision / assistance to use a hot glue gun (if they are comfortable with this, it is not required). I would strongly advise parents to assist them with this to avoid any burns. If you are uncomfortable with students using a hot glue gun, they should be able to replace the hot glue with white glue / school glue. Students will also need to collect natural materials from their yard / parks / sidewalks and may need parental supervision.
Students will often need to use scissors, younger students may need assistance with this.
Some of the crafts require the use of fine motor skills and can be difficult for younger children. If your child is younger or struggles with fine motor skills, they may need your assistance with some of these crafts
Supply List
Each week, we will use different materials to create art. You should be able to find most of these materials outside (in your yard, at a park, on the sidewalk, etc.). I encourage families to use this opportunity to take a walk through nature to collect these objects for free whenever possible. If you cannot find these materials outside or do not have access to these materials, the majority of them can be found at the dollar store, at Walmart or online. If you are unable to obtain these materials, let me know before class begins so that I can prepare an alternative craft for your child with other materials. *Important note: this class intends to teach students about the importance of nature through crafts. Please do not pick natural materials off of any living thing. Do not pick leaves off of trees or flowers off of plants. Do not break sticks off of the trees or harm any living plant in the process of collecting materials. You should be able to find all of the materials necessary for this course on the ground, after they have fallen off of the living plants. Please respect nature. Materials for the next 5 weeks: Week of January 9: Astronomy Materials: -thick black paper (multiple pieces, any size you’d like) -white paint -paint brushes -water and paper towels for cleaning brushes -small pebbles (ideally bigger than a grain of rice but smaller than a fingernail, but you can use whatever size you have available) -liquid glue -optional: ruler, white pencil crayon/ pen Week of January 16: Rainbows Materials: -at least 8 sticks (any size) -paint (all of the colours of the rainbow) -string -paint brushes -water and paper towels for cleaning brushes Week of January 23: (No class) Week of January 30: Spiders Materials: -sticks (at least 4-5) -white string Week of February 6: Bird Feeders Materials: -pine cones (at least 2-3) -string -scissors -peanut butter or lard -bird seed -a butter knife or spoon If you are ever unable to find these materials, or are not sure if you will be able to find natural materials each week, please reach out to me! I want every student that is interested to be able to sign up for this course regardless of access to materials. We can make these crafts work with alternative materials, but I need to know ahead of time what you have access to.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined March, 2020
4.8
5reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am a certified teacher with the Ontario College of Teachers in Canada. I worked as an environmental educator with my local conservation area as well a museum collection's assistant. This has given me a great deal of knowledge about the environment as well as history (specifically early settlers). I have also taken a few courses on arts methodology in teaching where I learned a great deal about using art as a cross-curricular subject.Reviews
Live Group Class
$12
weekly1x per week
50 min
Completed by 7 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 7-10
2-6 learners per class
