'Drawing From Nature'
A SCIENCE AND ART LESSON FOR KIDS
This appeared on October 2, 2005 in the Los Angeles Times
THE KIDS’ READING ROOM
By Carol Felixson
Special to the Times
October 2, 2005
"ATTACK of the Giant Tick" would be a good title for a
blockbuster movie. Noah, 12, used it to describe the sculpture
he made from papier-mâché.
Noah found out about ticks after seeing one crawling on his
friend's pant leg while hiking. He learned that this spider-like
creature is common in outdoor areas, especially during the
spring. He decided to make ticks the subject of his art project.
The artist discovered that the source of nutrition for ticks is
blood from animals, and sometimes humans. An unfed tick is about
the size of an apple seed. After drinking its fill, it can swell
to the size of a grape and remain embedded in the skin. Children
should seek adult help if they come in contact with ticks.
Some local ticks can transmit disease. But don't despair, you
can still enjoy nature by taking precautions. When outdoors,
it's a good idea to wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be
easily seen and flicked off. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts
keep ticks from getting to exposed areas where they can latch
on.
Now, since his hiking experience, Noah said, "I wear bug
repellent, walk in the middle of the trail and check for ticks
afterward."
Noah began his art project by blowing up a balloon. He taped on
pipe cleaners for legs and toothpicks for the mouth. He made the
papier-mâché by cutting sheets of newspaper into strips, then
poured paper-mâché paste into a pie tin (liquid starch can also
be used). He dipped the newspaper, one strip at a time, into the
paste. After running the paper between his thumb and forefinger
to remove excess paste, he placed each strip on the balloon.
When the entire balloon was covered with two to three layers of
paper, Noah carefully trimmed the edges. After it dried, he
added a final layer of colored tissue paper.
"I had a lot of fun getting dirty," he said.
Good job, Noah!
Author's note: Parents, to learn what to do if your child is
bitten by a tick, check the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention website,
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/ticktips2005 .
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Carol Felixson
Director of Education/Community Outreach
UCLA Stunt Ranch Reserve & Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden
310 206-3887, nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt.html,
www.botgard.ucla.edu
LA Times Science/Art Lessons for Kids:
http://nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt/newsforkids.html
Contributing to the
understanding and wise management of the Earth and its natural
systems
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