Continuing My Education: What is Life? Biology 101

Khan Academy online course, Intro to Biology

Since I graduated from UCLA with a BA in Art, defining myself as an artist has been a big deal for me...I accept the best and the worst of what that means. So here I am producing science content...how is that going to work?

Anim8Nature will be a web-based resource to inspire environmental stewardship built around 10 short animated life cycles of a variety of organisms. Writing and art-making lesson plans will be included to explore the concepts presented in the animations. I am producing and creating the animation.

Emphatically this is a very collaborative project. I am working with a host of educators and scientists as this develops. As an artist I have been a keen observer of nature and active participant in life outdoor since I was very little. My eye and intuitive skills as an observer serve me well in my capacity as an educator and give me great confidence moving forward.

Kids Animating Nature at iPad Camp

Procreate on the screen with a student's work the elements brush.

 This week I am teaching an iPad Camp at the Academy Center of the Arts here in Lynchburg, VA. I have been doing week-long iPad camps for a number of years and love spending this time with kids 8 - 14 helping them learn to become content creators. They learn to make animations, digital art, interactive books and videos. I wanted to test my theory that animation, art and science can play a role in how kids interact with their environment.

Anim8Nature Production Collaborator: Dr. John Styrsky

 

Dogwood Stone Circle  Caran d'Ache crayons  Kristin Reiber Harris

When I was teaching at Lynchburg College I met Dr. John Styrsky who is now the chair of the Biology Department. Our collaboration at that time revolved around the college's specimen collection. John lent me objects to study and include in my drawings. It was mostly moths and butterflies, some shells. These drawings are from that series.

Stone Circle Grasses  graphite  Kristin Reiber Harris

Nature in the Neighborhood: Sycamore Trees in Brooklyn

Sycamore bark on the sidewalk  Photo:Kristin Harris

Even in major urban centers, natural wonders are as close as the sidewalk. I recently spent time in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn where I always enjoy the proliferation of sycamore trees along the streets and in the parks.

Anim8Nature: A Beginning

Adult cicada  Wikipedia: Public Domain

Growing up on an old farm outside of Washington DC, I had access to 40 acres of fields, barns and woods. It was a time when kids wandered and explored for hours a day, especially in the summer.