Art for the Parks

Today is the last school day for NPS week---but we will be continuing our lesson into next week. The kids today in two of my four classes started to make their own WPA posters for parks here in DC.


I improvised from my lesson a little bit--we brainstormed National Parks here in DC. This was really enlightening to me---and I think to the kids. They knew a lot of the parks in Southeast where some live---like Fort Dupont and Cedar Hill. They knew the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Some of the kids who have been going with me on field trips this week called out the Mary McLeod Bethune House and Ford's Theater. Jocelyn did the C&O Canal for her History Day project documentary and so she called that one out.

I thought it was interesting how many parks they knew of but didn't know they were National Park Service parks. The girls class really loved the idea of Rock Creek Park even though most don't think they have been.

After we brainstormed parks, they completed the worksheet to get them to think about how they would represent that park. They had to pick out an icon for their park, think about the colors, and then create a slogan. Having the WPA posters up and accessible to the kids was really, really helpful.

Once they had their worksheet complete and concept in mind many of them decided to sketch a rough draft on a scrap sheet of paper.

Once that was done, I gave them an 8.5 x 11 piece of cream card stock and a plate of craypas.


We taped the edges of the paper with masking tape so that when they're finished they can peel the tape off and have a crisp border for their art work (just like the WPA posters!).

If you haven't used craypas before I highly recommend them! Craypas are a mix of crayons and oil pastels. They're wonderful. They have bright, bright colors and then you can blend them with a tissue or a finger. The kids who have started coloring with them have loved them! I am amazed at what an awesome job they have done with perspective and capturing the icon/feature of the park! Their slogans have been awesome too! Stay tuned for an online gallery in future posts!

My second class for the day just started to draw and color on their poster when the bell rang....but they have a great start and will be able to dive in when I see them next!

My last class of the day is the furthest behind because of the schedule. Today we read about the WPA and examined the posters. They did a good job analyzing and sharing their posters.



The last class finished and then it was time for our final field trip for the week! Today's trip was a double header--the Old Stone House and C&O Canal--both in Georgetown.

We went to the Old Stone House first because they were closing shortly. It takes a good 45-50 minutes to get from our school to the Old Stone House via public transportation and walking.

We made it in time and the kids quickly took to stamping their passports while the ranger finished up a few things so she could talk to our group.

She gave a great overview of the house and explained colonial life. The kids asked great questions too--they wanted to know how many people lived in the house (anywhere from 7-13 at one time), how old it was (it dates back to 1765), and what else it was in it's 250 year history (private residences, businesses, and a used car dealership).

The kids felt the original building beams and were excited to be touching history!

We went upstairs and viewed the bedroom...

the dining room...
and the children's bedroom. The ranger also told us that up to 6 slaves/indentured servants may have lived here at one time (part of the 13 people who lived in the house) and they all would have shared one room this size. The kids had trouble fathoming it....

While some explored upstairs, others explored downstairs....the games were particularly popular...



We took a picture outside of the house...

and then went to see the gardens in the back....the kids really liked the green space.

Then we walked the block and a half down to the C&O Canal. The visitor center is closed currently for renovation and the mules rides don't start for another month so our trip there was short....but there was a mother duck and her ducklings there to greet us!


We just finished talking about canals in US History last week so seeing the canal was pretty cool for the kids. Only a few had been down here.

I pointed out the towpath, where the mule covering is, the boat, and how the locks operate....they were really impressed with the water difference on the two sides of the lock.

The trip there made it very clear how the locks work.


On the way out a few of the kids took a picture with the statue of the individual who is credited with helping C&O become a National Park.

We were then headed back to school...but on our way we stopped to see the George Washington statue. It's a site for the Passport to History assignment...and also maintained by the NPS but not a stamp.
It's one of two statues of George Washington in DC and the oldest. This is the first one and is near GW University and the Foggy Bottom subway stop. It's of George as a general. The other statue is at the National Cathedral.


NPS week may be over officially but there's still lot to do!!!! Stay tuned for more updates!!!