Celebrating our earth: Holding the world in our hands – Inspired by Purpose Preschool
It’s inspiring to see how our friends at Purpose Preschool in Edmonton, Canada, embraced Earth Day, focusing on learning practical ways children can care for their environment and deepen their connection to the world around them. At Natural Pod, we cherish these moments where learning environments support hands-on discovery and a felt relationship with nature.
Led by their talented artist in residence Surabhi Nair, the children embarked on a meaningful art project, beautifully reminding us all that “we truly have the whole world in our hands.” Witnessing their unique creations come to life on our tables was a joy! Here’s how you can guide learners through a similar exploration.
1. Prepare your creative invitation: Set the stage for discovery. Gather your project materials around your Natural Pod Reach Tables, whose child-height surfaces, sturdy benches, and ample space provide the perfect setup for this hands-on project. You’ll need:
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- Paints (water-based tempera or non-toxic acrylic) in earthy colours such as greens, browns and blues.
- Paint brushes in various sizes.
- Containers to organize the brushes as well as containers for water. Old yogurt containers are repurposed here.
- Kitchen sponges cut in half (to use with paint).
- Small containers in which to pour paint. Mini pie tins work well.
- White paper circles to represent the earth.
- Small art canvases for each painting.
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2. Paint our planet on the circle representing our beautiful Earth. This is where children can explore painting techniques, guided by the artist-in-residence’s approach:
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- Colour mixing: Encourage experimentation! How can they mix blues and whites for oceans, or greens and browns for diverse landmasses?
- Backgrounds & foregrounds: While the focus is the Earth circle, they might think about the colours within the circle representing different natural features.
- Let each child create their unique piece of art, celebrating the Earth through their personal lens and newfound painting skills.
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3. Prepare the canvas background: Dip the sponge into a paint colour and dab it all over the canvas. Here the learners pick a colour of their choice to support their creative expression.
4. Map our world: While the background paint is still wet, place the earth circles onto the prepared canvases. The wet paint on the canvas will act like a glue and allow the earth circles to adhere onto the canvas. Point out the layers of background and foreground to the children.
5. Assemble the message: Holding our world: Once the canvases are dry, apply paint with wide brushes to a child’s hands, then guide them to intentionally place their hands at the base of the earth circles, one on either side of the base to cradle the painted Earth, bringing the powerful message to life: we hold the responsibility for our planet’s well-being in our very own hands. Note. Purpose Preschool divided the art activity into two days. On day one, the children worked on the earth circles and canvas, and on day two, they made handprints cradling the earth.
6. Share, admire, and tidy: Find a place to display these heartfelt creations. Talk with the children about the process and the meaning behind their art – how can they care for the Earth every day? And when the creative exploration is done, appreciate how the Reach Tables make clean-up a breeze, allowing the focus to remain on learning and connection.
It was truly inspiring to see the children at Purpose Preschool so engaged in this activity at their spacious Natural Pod tables. It’s a wonderful example of how simple materials and a nurturing environment can foster meaningful learning and creativity. Happy Earth Day! May we continue to look after our planet for all generations to come.
All images courtesy of Purpose Preschool.
