How Not To Make Art Projects That Look Like Rodents Pooping Babies
today we are going to learn why we should take a second look at our art projects, and make sure they do not end up on the Jay Leno Show. As mentioned before, a couple years ago I made a fantastic high school evolution curriculum centered on the evolution of the marsupial lion. One of the teachers showed the preview video to the first graders and they were suddenly all talking about the marsupial lion.
the students tried to draw a marsupial lion, unfortunately I could not find any age appropriate YouTube videos. Our school likes to play art for kids hub videos. If you click on this link —> LINK, you could help us out by sending them a marsupial lion video request.
I started drawing the marsupial lion For an interactive art and science project. I really wanted to create something that the first-Third graders would be able to use, and something that could meet Science standards. If you don’t already know, the marsupial lion is not a lion at all. In fact it has no relation to African or Asian lions. It is a marsupial, and as such, it carried its babies in a pouch.
When you think of pouches, most of the time you will think of a kangaroo. Kangaroos stand upright and carry their babies upright. Kangaroos are not the only marsupials in Australia, and if you are familiar with the others you would know that the wombat and others like it, it’s pouch is faced towards the rear. Closely related to wombats, koalas aren't diggers. They spend most of their time in trees, making it seem hazardous that their pouches open down instead of up. The Marsupial Lion’s closest relative is the wombat, meaning its pouch was probably rear facing as well as the Australian diprotodon. (featured below) What I am saying is this - when you look at this animal from behind, it looks like the animal is giving birth or pooping something - just like Jim Carry peeking out of the Rhino in Pet Detective.
So my art project is kind of a lie because i have the joey facing up. The reason is simile. Picture the emails we might receive from perplexed parents— Asking why their kids brought home an art project of a weird animal birthing another weird animal. Some parents might believe it is a rodent cat Pooping out a rodent. If my son brought this home, I would wonder, “What the hell am I looking at?” These little misunderstandings are part of the joy and amusement of working in public education.
Me and my coworkers had a good laugh at this. I am still working on these art slash science projects.
À bientôt
Naomi
