Inspiration: Science

I love NPR's Science Friday. Maybe it's the fact that I went to Michigan Tech for four years, or maybe it's their storytelling, but the stories are always interesting. Last week's story was on cephalopods (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish) and their ability to camouflage. Even if you're not interested in the science, watch the first 20 second of the video below. It's fascinating.



How does a science video about an octopus fit into art education? Easy. I'm a big believer in integrated education rather than breaking everything down into subjects. It's not like we go to the grocery store and only do math. No, we are using science, art, language, etc. Life is integrated and my feeling is that education works better when it mimics life. So... here are four lessons using this video:

1. Elementary: Students can paint the underwater with tempera and draw in their camouflaged cephalopod with oil pastels or cray pas.

2. Middle School: Students can paint the background, underwater elements (rocks, leaves, etc.), and the cephalopod. They will then cut and glue together their underwater scene.

3. High School: Students will draw the transformation process using colored pencils.

4. Middle or High School: Students will sculpt the hidden cephalopod in clay (ceramic or air-hardening) and will glaze/paint to complete camouflage process.