Summer Camp Recap: Eco Artist

By Carolyn Carlins, Facilitator, Phipps Science Education and Research

Summer Camp Recap is our weekly seasonal segment featuring our summer camp programs. This is the place for camp parents to find pictures of their campers in action and see the fun things we did all week. It’s also a great place for educators to pick up craft, story and lesson ideas for their own early childhood programs.

This past week our 6- to 13-year-old campers learned to be inspired by nature to preserve our natural environment in Eco Artist camp. We sketched, sculpted, painted and played, all while learning about the many ways artists can use reclaimed, recycled and collected items in the environment for inspiration. Using a recycled notebook, our young artists sketched their inspiration through the week.

Our first day, we discussed the importance of water conservation while using water to make coffee filter mobiles. Next we used the energy of the sun to fade old construction paper and melt crayon shavings and create a beautiful piece of abstract art. We let our creativity flow as we learned about the life cycle of butterflies and sculpted each step with air-dry clay. Throughout the week we met with Phipps specialists to learn about water and energy use in our Center for Sustainable Landscapes, discovering how art can inspire and enhance sustainability efforts.

Art at Home:

Do you have dried out markers at home? Don’t throw them out yet! Collect different colors and stick them in cups of water overnight to allow the color to leak out. The more markers per cup, the deeper the colors will be. Blend similar shades to create an even more vibrant hue, or test what happens when you mix different primary colors. When the color is right, dip your paintbrush in the water or use the markers again for beautiful results!