Our Rivers Inspire Us!

What a wonderful way to start our Art/Science Fusion! As the “science person” in this venture (I am Christy… at the UCRA Water Education Center), I just love bringing in all of this art at every opportunity.

We managed to integrate not only science and art, but also geography and Texas history in this first round of sessions.  Texas is simply just so huge!  That means that the waterways that serve as our borders have some very different ecosystems!  Our 2nd graders became “Eco Region Experts” and sorted images of different plants and animals and presented these to the whole group. These regions were based on those waterways that serve as our borders:  Rio Grande River, Red River, Sabine River and the Gulf Coast. As students  explored sketching and watercolors, they learned what it meant for artists to be inspired by their surroundings.  The humid Sabine River with bald cypress trees and alligators looks very different from the Rio Grande River as it runs through the Big Bend area of Texas.  After learning about these different ecoregions of Texas, the students could decide which one truly inspired them.

After our long journey around the borders of Texas, I was ready to head straight for the Gulf Coast for a relaxing time on the beach hanging out with dolphins and sandpiper birds! I am pretty sure our 2nd graders were too!

 

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