by Andrea Mulder-Slater
This lesson is from the book Awesome Architecture Activities for Kids which features 25 exciting STEAM projects to design and build.
Landscape architects need to think about which flowers and trees grow naturally in an area when they are designing parks or gardens. They can also consider how their plans can help local wildlife thrive, because when we work with nature, instead of against it, everyone benefits.
In this lesson, students will design a miniature garden using buttons, beads and other found objects as plants and flowers. They will learn how to think like a landscape architect as they arrange their materials in a fun and interesting way!
What You Need:
1 piece of construction paper (9 x 12)
2 to 5 craft sticks
Beads, buttons, pebbles, pom poms and small wooden blocks in a variety of colors
Optional: Glue and clothespins or binder clips
What You Do:
Fold all sides of a piece of construction paper in toward the center by 1 inch.
Pinch together each of the corners. Add a touch of glue if you wish. Use clothespins to hold the pinched corners together as the glue dries.
Using several craft sticks, divide the garden into spaces or areas. The sticks are the garden paths.
Now it’s time to select your plants! You will use buttons, beads, tiny blocks and other colorful found objects to represent the plants and flowers.
Place your pieces in the spaces you created. You can arrange them however you like. Think about height, color and texture, when selecting “plants” for your design.
Hows and Whys
Landscape architecture involves planning and designing spaces in the natural environment. You took an area, divided it up into sections and added items that represented plants and flowers in order to create a welcoming outdoor space.
Try This
Rearrange the plants in your garden to see how many color combinations you can create. Play around with the height and location of the plants and paths. When you are happy with your work, add color to the craft sticks with marker or paint and glue the pieces down for a more permanent design. Use glue to secure your pieces.
STEAM Connection
This activity uses science, art and math. Science helps landscape architects choose which plants to include in a garden. You use art to choose the colors of the plants and you use math to divide the space when laying out the garden.
This activity is from the book Awesome Architecture Activities for Kids, written by KinderArt’s Andrea, Jantje and Geoff. It is available wherever books are sold, including Amazon. 🙂
(This post contains affiliate links)
