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'Drawing From Nature'
A SCIENCE AND ART LESSON FOR KIDS
This appeared on March 6, 2005 in the Los Angeles Times
THE KIDS’ READING ROOM
By Carol Felixson
Special to The Times
March 6, 2005
Purple sage is a native plant commonly found in
our Santa Monica Mountains. Its botanical name
is Salvia leucophylla (SAL-vee-uh look-koh-FIL-uh):
Salvia for its healing powers and leucophylla
meaning "with white leaves." Purple refers to
the color of its flowers, which typically bloom
in the spring. After studying purple sage,
siblings Nomi, 7, and Tom, 6, drew this colorful
and fragrant plant. Then, with their parents'
help, they turned their illustration into a fun
jigsaw puzzle.
The children learned that purple sage is a
member of the mint family and one of several
species of coastal sage scrub. It is one of the
largest sage shrubs native to California.
"Hummingbirds, wasps and bees really like the
smell of purple sage," explains Nomi. The leaves
and oils of this and other aromatic sage species
are often used in seasonings and perfumes.
Nomi and Tom began by covering their work area
with newspapers. They gathered colored
construction paper, craft scissors, watercolor
markers and white glue.
First they drew their designs on the
construction paper. Then their mom used blunt
craft scissors to cut out the stems, leaves and
flowers.
Nomi put the pieces on the tan background and
glued them into place. Using markers, she added
more leaves, stems and details to the purple
flowers.
Once their illustration dried, their father cut
it into 12 big pieces to make a jigsaw puzzle.
"I had fun putting it back
together again!" said Tom.
Great job, kids! |
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About the series: Each month, Carol Felixson
introduces children to a subject from nature and
an art technique. She is director of education
and community outreach for UCLA's Stunt Ranch
Reserve and Mathias Botanical Garden. |
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| Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times |
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