Chewonki and HVNC Press Release
Submitted by Becky Hallowell and Elizabeth Proffetty
On Monday, December 5, Chewonki visited the art room at Wiscasset Elementary School with
both live animals and a collection of items from nature. Students in fourth and fifth grade moved
through four stations drawing and painting from observation. They were encouraged to draw
what they saw. They learned that observational drawing from life can teach them a lot of new
skills, like patience and acceptance when the animal moves of its own free will and that drawing
visual textures like fur, feathers, and scales can be made to look a lot more realistic when you
are drawing from life. Slowing down and quietly using eyes and hands to draw the natural world
is such a gift when so much of life is busy and based on technology.
Then, on Tuesday, December 6, fourth-grade students took their monthly trip to Hidden Valley
Nature Center. They looked for “planted” litter on their way in and discovered how long each
item took to break down. Students talked about alternatives to single-use plastics as they ate
their snacks. Once their snacks were tucked away, the students enjoyed meeting up with the
tree friends they adopted in September. They observed tracks of animals visiting their trees and
noticed the difference in how deciduous and evergreen trees held the weight of snow.
When the students returned to the barn, they delighted in exploring the skulls and pelts of
animals native to Maine. They determined what types of food an animal ate based on the types
of teeth they found in the skull. As different pelts were passed around the students explored the
variety of textures and colorings, determining what the purposes of each. As the students
explored these animal artifacts, they used the skills they had learned the day before during
Chewonki’s visit to art class.
Fourth and fifth-grade students all benefitted from being able to take time to slow down and look
closely this week. This is a skill that will serve them well.
Photo Credits: Becky Hallowell and Elizabeth Proffetty
