The simple style of Aboriginal art make it interesting to children.
The Aborigines, native people of Australia, share a rich and interesting history. Part of their lifestyle includes the creation of beautiful works of art. Aboriginal art -- also known as Indigenous Australian art -- incorporates the use of natural substances such as wood, bark, stone and natural pigments. Children often enjoy learning about Aboriginal art due to it's simplistic appearance and bold, vivid patterns. Several methods can be incorporate when children are introduced to Aboriginal art.
Instructions
1. Incorporate the Aboriginal living conditions into your lesson plan.
Introduce the subject to the students with a lesson on Australia and the Aboriginal people. Include pictures, slides or a video of the Aboriginal people and their way of life. Include an Aboriginal folk story to illustrate the native way of looking at things. Educate your students on what life is like for an Aboriginal child of their age and compare and contrast the differences. Provide details of the Australian climate, landscape and diet. Give students a wider picture of the indigenous lifestyle to enable them to understand and relate to the art in a deeper way.
2. It's possible to see artifiacts of this type during a museum tour.
Take a field trip to a museum that features a display of indigenous Australian art. Contact local art museums to see if they have a display of this sort. Most art museums will have at least a few pieces, if not an entire display. Consider a virtual field trip if nothing local is available. You can also create your own virtual field trip by compiling online images and information regarding Aboriginal art and the Australian countryside. Present your field trip in the classroom.
3. A private collector may possess a piece like this one.
Bring Aboriginal artifacts into the classroom for a hands-on experience. If you happen to be a collector of Aboriginal art, bring your items in to share. If not, contact a local collector and see if he would be willing to bring in his collection and speak to the class about it. The curator at your local art museum or the dean of the art department at a local university may be able to assist you in locating a collector if you do not have a connection of your own.
4. Incorporate an in-class art project into your lesson plan to allow the students to create their own Aboriginal art. Supply your students with natural materials to paint, if possible. If not, supply heavy-duty paper, grind natural pigments and implement Aboriginal painting methods, such as stick painting, blowing pigment through a straw and finger painting. Give the children enough information beforehand to enable them to create artwork that reflects the style of Aboriginal works. Play Aboriginal music in the background while the children work to give your project an authentic feel.
