How to be an Explorer of the World: Portable Art/Life Museum

"At any given moment, no matter where you are, there are hundreds of things around you that are interesting and worth documenting." -Keri Smith
"Ethnography, N. The documentation and analysis of a particular culture through field research."

As I think about stopping to smell the roses, and promoting the observation skills of artists and scientists, I am reminded of this COOL book. 
HOW TO BE AN EXPLORER OF THE WORLD
Here are some of my favorites you might want to consider personally and as a springboard for learning:

• Inspire students to: Observe, Collect, Analyze, Compare, and Notice patterns."LIFE IS A SCAVENGER HUNT"
• Write 10 things about where you are sitting RIGHT NOW that you hadn't noticed when you sat down. Use your senses. Do it quickly. Do not censor. Okay, begin.
• WORLD of COLOR: Collect paint chips from a paint or hardware store. Find colors you respond to in the world. Attempt to match them using the chips.
• CONSUMER: Record everything you consume OR everything you purchase in one day/week.
• WATER: Study and document shapes made by water. Find as many as you can. Research shapes made by water. come up with new ones.
• Now I will do nothing but LISTEN. "I hear all sounds running together, combined, fused, or following, sounds of the city, and sounds out of the city - sounds of the day and night. -Walt Whitman. Collect objects based on their sounds.
• FOOD as ART: Prepare a meal paying close attention to all the details. Document the process in some form. Incorporate ALL the senses in your process. Share the meal with someone.

I also found a nice (and more detailed) post you should check out about the book by GeekDad

So many ideas...this is a creative, cross-curricula book for parents, educators, and those who just want to notice and appreciate/learn from their environment. I highly recommend it.

How to be an Explorer of the World

High school, middle school, and college students have spent time journaling this summer, using one of my favorite books, How to be an Explorer of the World: Portable Art Life Museum, as inspiration.

I have previously blogged about this resource and you will find some ideas there.

BrainPickings shares some entries with a favorable overview as well: "a wonderful compendium of 59 ideas for how to get creatively unstuck by engaging with everyday objects and your surroundings in novel ways. From mapping found sounds to learning the language of trees to turning time observation into art".  

Below I share some of my most recent college student visual responses. I encourage you to check out this Keri Smith journaling resource...

“Every morning when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift!”