Integrated Arts Series: Lesson 3 - Patterns all around us - MetroFamily Magazine
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Integrated Arts Series: Lesson 3 – Patterns all around us

By Oklahoma A+ Schools

Reading Time: 3 minutes 

A pattern is a design or idea in which elements repeat. There can be patterns on the clothes you wear and you can also find patterns in nature. Greek philosophers like Plato and artists like Leonardo da Vinci looked for naturally occurring patterns to help them understand and explain the order in nature. Tessellations are patterns formed by repeating “tiles” or shapes. Think of a honeycomb or a snake’s scales: they are made up of shapes that repeat again and again. You can see patterns everywhere once you know what to look for!

Thanks to our friends at Oklahoma A+ Schools, we’re continuing a 6-month series of easy, fun and engaging arts integration activities that kids and families can enjoy together. Bonus: integrating the arts with students’ everyday academics is proven to increase comprehension and retention!

Pattern Scavenger Hunt 

  • Hunt for patterns around your home or while out on a nature walk.
  • Use the patterns you find to create a Zentangle abstract, which is black-and-white art made up of different patterns.
  1. Gather your materials:
    1. A pencil
    2. Two pieces of paper
    3. Something round to trace, like a bowl
    4. A ruler or straight edge
    5. A paperclip
    6. A pen
  2. Look for patterns. Hunt around your home or go outside to
    find eight different patterns. Take a picture of each pattern you find.
  3.  Make a circle spinner. Take one piece of paper and place your bowl or other round item on top. Trace it with your pencil. Use your ruler to draw a line across the middle of the circle in both directions so you have four equal sections. Divide each of those sections in half so you have a total of eight sections.
  4. Fill each section of your circle with a pattern. Look at your pattern photos. Draw one of the patterns you found in each section of the spinner.
  5. Now make your Zentangle abstract. On your second piece of paper, draw several wavy lines that go from edge to edge and cross each other to form a doodle that creates several sections on your page. Make sure it crosses itself in multiple places so you have individual sections.
  6. Grab your circle spinner on your first piece of paper. Place the paperclip in the center of your spinner, holding it in place with a pencil. Flick the paperclip so it spins around, landing on a pattern.
  7. Fill in your abstract piece. Using a pen, draw the pattern your paperclip landed on in one of the sections created by your wavy lines. Use your spinner to select a pattern for each section, filling each one with a pattern from your spinner.

 

Integrated arts activities are created by certified teachers and provided by Oklahoma A+ Schools to meet the Oklahoma Academic Standards across multiple content areas. Find more activities at metrofamilymagazine.com/integrated-arts

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