Learn about Women Artists

We’ve already talked a bit about women in STEM for Women’s History Month, but I thought it would be fun to take a look at some female artists, too. Kids can learn about the women, see their art and even make art projects inspired by them. Let’s take a look at some fun resources for learning about female artists.

The Wadsworth Atheneum has a video reading of the book Women Artists A to Z by Melanie LaBarge, which covers women artists and the subjects they painted (example, n is for nature and talks about how Maya Lin uses natural materials and makes works that fit into the environment surrounding them). Or check out this post full of children’s books about female artists from the New York Public Library.

Need more ideas of artists to talk about? These lists overlap a bit, but check out:

6 Famous Female Artists Every Classroom Should Know by Winged Canvas
5 Women Artists of Color from Multicultural Kids Blog
Famous and Should be Famous Women Artists Your Students Should Know by Art Class Curator

Once you’ve picked a few artists to focus on, or let each child choose an artist to work with, you can search for their art and more biographical information online. You may also be able to find projects inspired by particular artists, or you can develop your own. For example Yayoi Kusama is known for the use of dots in her work, so you could use that as inspiration for a classroom project. Or check out these ideas:

These art projects inspired by women artists from Artsy Craftsy Mom include Kusama, Sonia Delaunay, Helen Frankenthaler and more. The one shown above is inspired by Alma Thomas and can be found on Woo Jr.
Table Life Blog has a collection of resources for studying Mary Cassatt, including books, videos and projects.
Artsy Craftsy Mom has several art study lessons for various artists, male and female. Here are her posts on Georgia O’Keeffe and Frida Kahlo. I love the flower bowl pictured above, which comes from the Crayon Lab.

Next Plan Idea:

Learning about Women in STEM

Botswana is a landlocked country in southern Africa known for its desert and game reserves. About 70 percent of the country is part of the Kalahari Desert, and it is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world.

Botswana Basics

Botswana is borders by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
With an area of 224,610 square miles (581,730 square kilometers) it’s about the size of France, and is home to about 2.4 million people.
The country is essentially the nation-state of the Tswana people, and the name means “home of the Tswana.” The Tswana are descendants of Bantu speakers who settled in the area as early as 600 AD.
The British colonized the area in 1885, and it gained its freedom in 1966.
Evidence shows that the area was inhabited by humans at least 400,000 years ago, and some theorize that it was the birthplace of all modern humans around 200,000 years ago.
Gabarone is the nation’s capital and largest city.
English is the official language, but Setswana (the language of the Tswana) is recognized as the national language.
Botswana is a parliamentary republic that also has a president, but the same political party has ruled there since independence.

Botswana National Symbols

The flag of Botswana is mostly sky blue with a horizontal band of black in the center with narrower white lines on either side. The blue is meant to signify the sky and water, while the black and white bands represent harmony among the diverse people who live there.

The national anthem, “Fatshe leno la rona,” or “Blessed Be the Noble Land,” was adopted in 1966.

The coat of arms shows two zebra holding a shield between them. The shield includes important elements from Botswana including cogwheels to represent industry, a bull for cattle herding, sorghum for agriculture and an ivory tusk to represent the country’s high population of elephants. It also includes the national motto, pula, which means “let there be rain.”

Zebras are a national symbol of the country, both because it is neutral in terms of traditional tribal symbols, and because the combination of black and white on their bodies evokes racial harmony.

The national tree is the marula, also known as Sclerocarya birrea, which is a medium-sized tree known as the king of trees in Africa. Check out that link for all the different uses for the tree, plus some debunking of the myth that eating the marula fruits can make animals drunk.

The kgori is the national bird, and it is the largest flying bird in Africa. The national flower is Sengaparile or Harpagophytum procumbens, also known as Devil’s claw for its spiny fruits, but it is one of the most common medicinal plants in Southern Africa.

Botswana Activities for Kids

Since zebras are the national animal you can spend some time learning about them. Check out this post at National Geographic Kids, and make some zebra crafts from this list from Artsy Craftsy Mom.

KidsKonnect has a good page and downloadable resources about the Kalahari Desert, while Twinkl has a variety of downloads on deserts in general, desert animals, deserts of the world and a set specific to Botswana. You can also find country studies, mini books and more at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Learn more about the Okavango Delta, a vast inland river delta that is mostly pristine because a lot of it is a nature preserve.

Check out Old Palaypye, a site that has been occupied by humans since the middle Stone Age and is considered the first town established in Botswana.

The national dish of Botswana is seswaa, stewed meet (usually beef) served with pap, which is like polenta. Check out the recipe at G Adventures, or a lazy version from My Burnt Orange.

Looking for a picture book about Botswana? Try The Upside Down Baobab Tree.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Botswana Basics

Botswana National Symbols

Botswana Activities for Kids

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