4th Grade Tree Design for Winter Program

The fourth grade artists have been hard at work creating three-dimensional trees for the sets of the Lower School Winter Program. In art class, the students were presented with the "design challenge" of creating large free-standing trees using cardboard tubes and other recycled materials.

The young artists were given masking tape, duct tape, staplers and cardboard scissors and some hints about useful ways to attach pieces. They soon got started, working in small groups, to construct their trees. As they were working, they problem-solved, adjusting their technique for attaching materials, the size of materials, how to balance their trees and what type of base to create to help their tree stand up. Some groups began assembly lines of friends stapling branches, with other friends in charge of taping, or standing back and giving direction on placement of branches.

They were constantly assessing and reflecting on their work, sharing strategies and generating new ideas. The art room was abuzz with this important design work and no one wanted to clean up when class was over! These type of design challenges help students to think independently, work collaboratively and problem-solve in a situation that has real-life applications. Stay tuned to see the completed trees on the stage at the Winter Program.