An Interview with Mrs. Ludwig
How long have you been using the garden as a means of inspiration?
Artists have been using plants and flowers as inspiration for hundreds of years and actually we owe much of what we know scientifically about plants to artists as they studied and drew the parts of plants and process of plant growth. Think Leonardo Da Vinci! So it was natural for me to want to show students that art is much more than learning how to draw a pretty picture. It is about learning to observe our surroundings and draw what we see as a means to learn about how things work.
What sort of activities do kids get to do in the garden?
Right now we are starting with basic observations. My 4th graders are exploring the differences in flower species and draw parts of the plants as they learned about plant growth in science class. We began by spending a whole class just drawing the different kinds of blooms on each flower the next class focused on the stems and how they connected to the leaves and blooms and seeds, followed by studies of the leaves. We just kept break each whole plant down into tiny parts. Right now they are focused on color in the garden.
My first graders went out during our bug unit in art class to observe and draw all of the different kinds of insects they could find. They pretended to be explorers and it was so fun to hear them talk about all the different kinds of bees. They couldn’t believe how different each bee looked that came to visit the flowers in the garden. It also served as a great time to talk about bugs and bees and what they were doing as they flew from flower to flower and the responsibility each bug has in our ecosystem.
Mr. Corwin’s woods class is in the process of building 12 garden benches that were donated by the community. That will give a whole class a space to sit so hopefully teachers will find it more appealing to go use.
What sort of response have the students had towards the garden?
Usually they are really excited just to get outside. They have been cooped up in a classroom most of the day so doing something outside doesn’t even feel like school. They have fun and learn and they hardly realize that it has happened until we come in and talk about what they discovered or observed. It’s really neat to watch that light bulb go on in their minds as they realize “WOW! We really learned a lot out there!”
The community has also commented on how nice the front of the school looks! It’s much more welcoming than it used to be.
How do you feel about the garden?
The garden was a lot of work and there were so many times that I thought, “Oh my, what have I gotten myself into?!” But I had a lot of help from students, teachers, the support of my administrators and our PTO. Sue and Denny Meggers were instrumental in helping me with this, not only did Mrs. Meggers give me moral support when I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew but they also provided all the good soil that kept the plant alive all summer. The PTO backed me up by matching the grant that we received from the DNR and without that the garden would not be as beautiful as it is now. I am so proud of the space! There is still work to do but I think it turned out great and I hope as it grows other teachers will also find it useful in their curriculum.
What kind of effect has the garden had on the kids’ art?
I have been so proud of what the kids are drawing as we observe the plant life in the garden. It is a very difficult task to look at something and draw what is actually there instead of what our mind remembers. I have seen their drawings become so much more realistic.
What future activities could you see the garden being involved in?
Art classes will continue to use the garden as a place to observe and draw from life. Eventually I would like to use the actual plants from the garden in artwork but they need time to grow and become established before we start “picking” at them. My greatest hope is that other teachers will find a way to use the garden as well, even if it is just a place to sit and read.
Artists have been using plants and flowers as inspiration for hundreds of years and actually we owe much of what we know scientifically about plants to artists as they studied and drew the parts of plants and process of plant growth. Think Leonardo Da Vinci! So it was natural for me to want to show students that art is much more than learning how to draw a pretty picture. It is about learning to observe our surroundings and draw what we see as a means to learn about how things work.
What sort of activities do kids get to do in the garden?
Right now we are starting with basic observations. My 4th graders are exploring the differences in flower species and draw parts of the plants as they learned about plant growth in science class. We began by spending a whole class just drawing the different kinds of blooms on each flower the next class focused on the stems and how they connected to the leaves and blooms and seeds, followed by studies of the leaves. We just kept break each whole plant down into tiny parts. Right now they are focused on color in the garden.
My first graders went out during our bug unit in art class to observe and draw all of the different kinds of insects they could find. They pretended to be explorers and it was so fun to hear them talk about all the different kinds of bees. They couldn’t believe how different each bee looked that came to visit the flowers in the garden. It also served as a great time to talk about bugs and bees and what they were doing as they flew from flower to flower and the responsibility each bug has in our ecosystem.
Mr. Corwin’s woods class is in the process of building 12 garden benches that were donated by the community. That will give a whole class a space to sit so hopefully teachers will find it more appealing to go use.
What sort of response have the students had towards the garden?
Usually they are really excited just to get outside. They have been cooped up in a classroom most of the day so doing something outside doesn’t even feel like school. They have fun and learn and they hardly realize that it has happened until we come in and talk about what they discovered or observed. It’s really neat to watch that light bulb go on in their minds as they realize “WOW! We really learned a lot out there!”
The community has also commented on how nice the front of the school looks! It’s much more welcoming than it used to be.
How do you feel about the garden?
The garden was a lot of work and there were so many times that I thought, “Oh my, what have I gotten myself into?!” But I had a lot of help from students, teachers, the support of my administrators and our PTO. Sue and Denny Meggers were instrumental in helping me with this, not only did Mrs. Meggers give me moral support when I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew but they also provided all the good soil that kept the plant alive all summer. The PTO backed me up by matching the grant that we received from the DNR and without that the garden would not be as beautiful as it is now. I am so proud of the space! There is still work to do but I think it turned out great and I hope as it grows other teachers will also find it useful in their curriculum.
What kind of effect has the garden had on the kids’ art?
I have been so proud of what the kids are drawing as we observe the plant life in the garden. It is a very difficult task to look at something and draw what is actually there instead of what our mind remembers. I have seen their drawings become so much more realistic.
What future activities could you see the garden being involved in?
Art classes will continue to use the garden as a place to observe and draw from life. Eventually I would like to use the actual plants from the garden in artwork but they need time to grow and become established before we start “picking” at them. My greatest hope is that other teachers will find a way to use the garden as well, even if it is just a place to sit and read.