Students at the Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts (ASIA) Sumas Mountain, have created a display of a Pacific Northwest kelp forest and underwater reef – through crochet.
The multi-curricular project involved students from Grades 6 to 12, who created crochet sea life to learn about our oceans through science and creative work.
This project was chosen for a number of reasons, the first being that a small group of teachers on staff saw photos of the international Crochet Coral Reef – crochetcoralreef.org – and appreciated the beauty of the work and the educational potential of the project.
The work combines elements of biology, math, crochet, visual design, environmental stewardship, and community participation.
Students learned about the animals and plants in our oceans, studied the mathematic patterns that generate these creatures, persevered through the development of basic crochet skills, and explored the creative process of using the colours and textures of yarn as an art medium.
ASIA teachers plan each year around a common theme at the school, which gives focus to the arts integration projects and activities that teachers plan. The school theme this year was “water."