Creative learning, there is no limit!

Do you like to learn new things? Your answer may depend on what you are going to learn or even how you are going to learn it. What if everything you learned was taught through imaginative art-making activities? Let's explore some ways that you can use the arts to learn about lots of different subjects.

We'll start with math--we can learn about shapes and sizes by looking at nature. Why don't we do a printing project that will allow us to compare the diameter of different fruits? First, cut an orange and lemon in half and see how the flesh part forms a circle. Put two colors of paint in separate paper plates, then dip the juicy part of an orange half into one color of paint and print on a clean piece of paper, repeating several times. Have fun creating interesting patterns with the circles. Next, dip the lemon half in the other color and use it to make more designs on your paper. When your artwork is dry, you can measure the diameter, or the width across the circle, of the two different sized circles with a ruler. You can also add other shapes and colors--YOU are the artist!

For science, to help learn about rocks and minerals, try drawing a story of the Earth's changes on paper. First, draw the Earth and identify the three types of rock (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic), including how they form and what you have learned about their properties. Look at photos of the great canyons around the world to see how rich and colorful rocks can be! Make another picture that explains how forces like wind and water shape the earth's surface--think of how the wind blows sand dunes in the desert, or how waterfalls carve away the rock beneath them over time. You can even use sculpture or photography to illustrate your ideas. Be creative!

What about social studies? For centuries, people have expressed ideas and opinions through all kinds of art forms (poems, paintings, music, drawings, weaving, etc). Let's act as if we are archaeologists and investigate a culture. The choice is yours--any culture from Ancient Greece to Modern India. Create a poster, sculpture, or other kind of artwork that represents this culture and their art. Be as imaginative as you can--include drawings, music, scraps of fabric, tools, magazine clippings, and anything else that you think explains what this culture is like.

Finally, you can always improve your reading skills by drawing pictures of the main characters in the book you are reading. This helps you better understand their personalities and the part they play in the story. It is a good idea to write something about your drawing on the back to help you remember the book and what you were thinking when you made the drawing.

Now that we have explored learning activities with no boundaries, let's create and learn in all that we do. Remember to turn any challenge into an art project, and have fun! There is no limit to enjoying yourself while learning, just add creativity to the mix!