The Picnic Lesson in Everyday Life

In the Plantae kingdom, there are colors invisible to the human naked eye. To delve deeper into the essence of colors, Mrs. Chang led her students on a walk outside the classroom to closely examine plants. They collected beautiful specimens and brought them back to the lab for interdisciplinary experiments and color analysis. After this fascinating exploration, they were surprised to discover that the plants they see on campus everyday contain more colors than they had imagined.

By extracting colors from the plants and observing the stratification phenomenon, the students learned about the variety and complexity of how nature generates colors. To Mrs. Chang, one of the purposes of the art and design course is to challenge conventions, and this class helped the students realize that leaves and flowers are not merely red and green. Through these scientific experiments, the students developed their ability to observe rationally. Additionally, the course encouraged them to adopt a bolder attitude toward exploring more possibilities.

Due to the scarcity of educational resources in the remote and rural regions of Taiwan, Mrs. Lu lectures simultaneously in three schools in Yuli, Hualien. She discovered that most of the children are from tribal communities, and their families, who rely on farming, live in harmony with the land. As a result, their lifestyle is deeply connected to the solar terms and seasonal foods.

When teaching colors to her students, Mrs. Lu creatively incorporated food into the lessons to offer a unique perspective on colors. By rearranging the colors on the dining table, she aimed to help the students discover new meanings in their local food. Through exploring seasonal colors, the children gradually realized how food enriched their lives and even revealed their true selves.

The art and design course at Yu-Shan Public Junior High School evolved from the school’s curriculum, which included climbing Mt. Jade, Taiwan’s highest mountain, on various routes corresponding to different grades. Mr. Chang aimed to foster aesthetic sensibility in the students through these life experiences. To achieve this goal, he encouraged the students to design a board game inspired by their mountain journeys.

With enthusiastic participation and strong teamwork, the students effectively applied design principles and successfully created their own imaginative and unique board games.

An elder from the tribe was invited to give a lecture in Mr. Liu’s class. He spoke about the young and old generations in the tribe and sadly noted a cultural gap between them. To help bridge this gap and revive tribal traditions, Mr. Liu decided to teach the students how to make tree bark clothes. This lesson aimed to deepen their understanding of their own culture.

The students learned about the different types of trees and why people made clothes from tree bark in the past. They experienced firsthand how to soften tree bark and used local materials and techniques to create items that meet contemporary needs. The lesson highlighted the tribal lifestyle and showcased the ancestors’ wisdom in utilizing natural materials for everyday life. It also encouraged the students to continue exploring new possibilities within traditional craftsmanship to pass on their aboriginal culture.