Sm'Arties hit the woods!

I am 2 art posts behind, but here is a little of what our homeschool mini-co-op is up to these days:

...well, when the Sm'Arties hit the woods last week, they were botanists, classifying plants with Science Geek.

...and discovering the occasional beautiful insect.

Want a closer look?

And when the field work was done, it was time to play!

Ferns Four Ways

This fall Science Geek is teaching our Sm'Arties Botany.  Most of our art projects will have a certain botanical twist, too.  Our first - depicting ferns four ways!

The day before Sm'Arties , Earthgirl and I took a little hike on the nature trail that adjoins our property, collecting ferns and mosses for the mini-co-op to study.  Science Geek did her thing, looking at vascular and nonvascular plants, then it was time for art.

We made a fern print using an ink pad, a fern rubbing using a crayon with the fern, vein side up, held under the paper, a pencil sketch, and a "magnifying glass" pencil sketch. 

Crayon rubbing

Ink stamping

Clockwise: Magnified view, crayon rubbing, ink stamping, pencil sketch

I'm looking forward to tying science and art together - it's a great school year already!