The annual fifth grade gourd project
integrates art, science, and humanities while helping students find
their voices as writers. The gourds are grown, harvested and
dried on campus by Heathwood students. Art teacher Clare Scurry
showed students how to look for patterns in nature and then design
gourds using space and balance. Visiting artist, Mitzi Davis Crapps
shared her knowledge of designing and cultivating this amazing plant.
After students finish painting the gourds, the artwork serves as
inspiration for original stories in their humanities
class. In science, studying the life cycle of plants such as
gourds helps reveal how humans depend on the plant world
for life. And because gourds have been used for thousands of
years in the Americas, the project also helps students learn
more about ancient cultures and civilizations.
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