Our Colors of Nature project developed a series of kits that explore the art and science of nature’s colors. The kits have been distributed to school curriculum libraries, museums, science centers, and public libraries for use in educational programs. We have also provided professional development to educators in institutions that adopt the kits.
Our lesson plans, with material lists for creating your own kits, are freely available for download below:
KIT 1Science and Art Core Practices This kit is designed to help learners explore the core question: how do art and science help us understand the world around us? Through a series of investigations, learners will become familiar with the core practices of art and science, and develop scientific and artistic habits of mind that empower them to engage in self-directed inquiry through the generation and evaluation of ideas. |
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Investigation 1 Suminagashi |
| Investigation 2 Observational Drawing | |
| Investigation 3 Drawing with Tools | |
| Click here to download the PDF of Kit 1 (1MB, 24 pages)
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KIT 2Chemistry and Art This kit is designed to help learners explore the core question: how does the chemistry of color help us understand the material world around us? In this series of STEAM investigations, learners separate pigments from natural and manufactured sources using chromatography, develop paintings by changing pigment colors with acid base reactions, and create images using photochemical reactions. |
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Investigation 1 Chromatography |
| Investigation 2 Cabbage Chemistry | |
| Investigation 3 Cyanotypes | |
| Click here to download the PDF of Kit 2 (3MB, 31 pages)
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KIT 3Biology and Art This kit is designed to help learners explore the core question: how does color help us understand the living world around us? In this series of STEAM investigations, students explore adaptive coloration strategies, apply their findings to design camouflage patterns for specific habitats, detect signals beyond the visible spectrum, and create stop-motion animations to communicate about UV signals that we cannot see ourselves. |
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Investigation 1 Adaptive Coloration: Camouflage |
| Investigation 2 Adaptive Coloration: UV Signals | |
| Investigation 3 Communicating the Invisible: Stop Motion Animation | |
| Click here to download the PDF of Kit 3 (5MB, 20 pages)
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KIT 4Optics and Art This kit is designed to help learners explore the core question: how does light help us understand the colors of the world around us? Through a series of STEAM investigations, students learn about the colors of the visible spectrum that make up white light, explore selective absorption and reflection, and experiment with structural color. |
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Investigation 1 White Light |
| Investigation 2 Reflection and Absorption | |
| Investigation 3 Structural Color | |
| Click here to download the PDF of Kit 4 (5MB, 30 pages)
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For more information on the Colors of Nature project, please visit www.colorsofnature.org
The material presented here is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers 1713155 and 1713276. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.