Learning outcomes
The lesson encourages hands-on exploration of nature, artistic expression, and map-making skills while fostering an appreciation for biodiversity and the natural world. It provides an interactive and creative way for children to connect with their environment and develop a sense of responsibility as young environmental stewards.
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Explore nature's diversity: Collect and identify a variety of natural elements, such as leaves, sticks, stones, and flowers, from their surroundings.

• Observe macro details: Use close observation to identify and draw abstract macro parts of the collected natural elements, focusing on intricate patterns, textures, and shapes.

• Enhance creativity: Express their creativity by translating the details observed in nature into unique and imaginative abstract drawings, using different art materials like pencils, crayons, or watercolors.

• Develop mapping skills: Create a simple map or diagram of the area they explored, reflect on the locations where they found the natural elements, and note any interesting features or landmarks.

• Understand biodiversity: Reflect on the importance of biodiversity by discussing how the different natural elements they collected represent the variety of life in their local environment.

• Foster a connection to nature: Develop a deeper connection to nature by actively engaging with the environment and appreciating the beauty and diversity found in even the smallest details of the natural world.

• Promote environmental stewardship: Discuss the significance of protecting and preserving natural habitats and the role they can play in caring for their local environment.

Lesson plan

• Discuss  how life on earth has developed through the years. Imagine a really, really long time ago, much longer than you can count. There was no life on earth at all. It was just rocks, water, and a lot of empty space.
  Tiny beginnings: Then, something magical happened. Tiny, tiny things, so small you can't even see them without a microscope, started to appear. These were the very first living things, and we call them "microorganisms." They were like the pioneers of life on earth.
  Getting more complex: Over a very, very long time, these microorganisms changed and evolved. Some became a bit more complex, forming simple cells. They learned to work together and became the first tiny plants and tiny animals.
  Dinosaurs and more: Millions of years passed, and life kept evolving. Giant creatures like the dinosaurs roamed the earth. There were also strange and amazing animals in the oceans, and different kinds of plants and insects on land.
  Mammals and humans: Then, about 65 million years ago, something big happened. The dinosaurs disappeared, but other creatures, like mammals, started to thrive. Over time, mammals became more and more complex, and eventually, humans, like you and me, came into the picture.
  Continuing change: Life has kept changing and evolving. Humans learned to build cities, create art, and explore the world. We've also learned about the amazing diversity of life on our planet, from tiny insects to enormous whales.
  Protecting our planet: Today, we know that all life on earth is connected, and we have a big responsibility to take care of our planet and all the living things on it. We need to make sure that the amazing story of life on earth continues for a long, long time. Life on earth has developed over millions and millions of years, from tiny microorganisms to the incredible diversity of plants, animals, and humans we see today. It's like a grand adventure that's still unfolding!

• Discuss the importance of biodiversity in connection to life on land and in waters. Biodiversity is a key element of food security and a means of improving nutrition. Many of the most vulnerable people depend on food gathered from natural ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, oceans, and rivers. Biodiversity also underpins ecosystem functions, such as pollination and the maintenance of soil fertility and water quality, central to agricultural productivity. Nearly 1 in 4 deaths globally is attributed to environmental risk factors. Healthy ecosystems help mitigate the spread and impact of pollution by both sequestering and eliminating certain types of air, water, and soil pollution. Agricultural biodiversity contributes to increased sustainable production, reducing the need for pesticides and other chemical inputs, resulting in benefits to human health. Further, a substantial proportion of the world’s population depends on traditional medicines derived from biodiversity for their health care needs. 

• Discussion on what characterises a healthy ecosystem with biodiversity. Biodiversity and healthy ecosystems can provide reliable and cost-effective natural infrastructure. Natural infrastructure such as vegetation in cities can reduce the run-off of pollution into water bodies. Such green infrastructure can offer multiple benefits and are often more effective than built infrastructure in terms of cost, longevity, and effectiveness. 

• Learners go out for a walk and select different bits and pieces that they can find during the walk. Each group (4-6 learners) takes one egg tray and can fills it with things that interest them.

• During the walk the teachers talk about things that they see during the walk, i.e., reflections on time; how a granite rock is very old when the soil is much younger. How a tree’s root system collaborates with fungal matter in the soil that carries nutrition. How other organisms live in the bark of trees, both as parasites and in cooperation with the trees. Learners observe the birds they find during their walks. They discuss how harmful climate change can be for the birds. How habitats change due to different flora and fauna. 

• Once back in the classroom the learners pick a colour that they feel represens their experience during the walk. They draw a line showing the path they walked (A5 paper). The drawings are placed together on a table and the learners do experiments on how to show them. Once they have reached a solution, they hang them up.

• Learners pick three objects from the egg tray and cover a heavy paper (200gr.) with the patterns they see in the objects they selected. They make sure to keep the drawing abstract. It is good to use dry pastel colours or chalks in different colours.

• Learners either draw a silhouette of the birds they saw during their walk or use a ready-made pattern provided by the teacher. If drawing the bird, it is good to mention that it is best to draw a profile of the birds head so they can see its beak. Learners place the abstract image facing down and trace around the bird so they don‘t see their colouring. They trace other bird patterns, then cut these out but avoid turning them around. Learners colour the white side and then compare the sides. Which one do they like better and why? What do the birds have in common?

• Teachers explain how many small birds, such as cardinals and robins, are so territorial that they will fly straight into a glass window, thinking they're driving their own reflection away. This is a particular problem during breeding season, but birds may also fly into windows throughout the year. Learner will use their new birds to prevent birds from flying into the windows of their own home or school by taping them to windows.

• Learners talk about how they can rescue other living things. Sometimes, plants just pop up in random places and quietly get on with surviving, indeed thriving, in their locations with little help from people. These are the happy lucky moments for plant lovers. But some of these self-seeding plants will not be allowed to continue to grow. That includes some trees that cannot grow in cracks of sidewalks because when the root system gets larger it will break the concrete. Learners go on a walk to rescue seedlings and plant them in the schoolyard.

• Learners select one of the pieces they took along into the classroom in the egg tray. They fill an A5 paper with abstract forms, reflecting on the texture of the piece. They do experiments with pastel colours and chalk colours. They use magnifying glass to better discern the patterns and the depth of the colour. They do experiments with the colours trying to rub, draw fast, light, from different directions etc.  When everyone has filled their papers, they are arranged on a table all together and learners do experiments with arranging them. Once happy, the works are put up for an exhibition. Students give their works titles that reflect on the name of their inspiration.