Students blend art and science in lastest project…and the result is a colorful crustacean

Indian Fields students enjoy the benefits of art teacher’s cross-curriculum.

By: Kara Fitzpatrick
   Thanks to a cross-curriculum project, the third-grade class at Indian Fields can craft a papier maché crustacean like a pro.
   As part of a science unit, the students have been hosting a group of crayfish in the classroom to observe their habits and anatomy. To complement their classroom studies, art teacher Katina Ewaskiewicz decided to blend science with creativity and have the children create a papier maché crayfish, shaping and decorating it to their liking.
   Ms. Ewaskiewicz said she finds cross-curriculum projects beneficial to the children’s education.
   "(The students) come in here with the excitement and the knowledge of the subject, we just put it into art form," she said.
   By combining animal observation with art, the children have reinforced their knowledge of the animal’s makeup.
   "It’s really fun, (the students) seem to really enjoy it," Ms. Ewaskiewicz said.
   At the onset of the art project, Ms. Ewaskiewicz asked the children to list the parts of a crayfish and "all hands went up," she said.
   As the children worked on the papier maché version of their pets, they were eager to share their knowledge of the animals.
   "They walk backwards really fast," Yusra Syed said. And, because crayfish "like having houses" as Yusra pointed out, the class placed paper cups in the tank.
   The students also learned that female crayfish don’t exactly take a subservient role to their male counterparts.
   "One of the crayfish died in a fight between a big female and a little male," explained Daniel Spivak, adding that the deceased was, in fact, a male.
   "I guess she’s just really mean," Rohan Patil said of the female crayfish involved in the altercation.
   Ms. Ewaskiewicz said she often uses cross-curriculum projects. For example, she said, when the second-graders were studying monarch butterflies, she had the students create the animals in art class.
   Student Karin Borkar said the project is unique, and therefore interesting.
   "This project is something that I don’t do all of the time," she said. "I never learned about crayfish, so it’s fun."
   Students said it takes patience to sculpt the crayfish to perfection. Once the object dries, they will have one final finishing touch to decide upon — the color. It was a decision that was taken quite seriously.
   Spencer Nelson said he was going to paint his dark blue and red — "for the (NFL football) Giants," he said. "I just really like the Giants."
   Selecting colors for the crayfish based upon team affiliation was not uncommon. Rohan Patil divulged that he planned to paint his blue and white — for none other than the Yankees. "I like the Yankees," he said.
   Others simply selected a color that was pleasing to the eye. "Purple," said Karin Borkar when asked about what color she would make her creation. "And at the bottom, blue."