Albuquerque's
Environmental StoryAlbuquerque's
Environmental Story
Working in small groups, write down descriptive or mood words that
come to mind in any of the following situations:
walking in the bosque at the Rio Grande Nature Center
climbing the rocks at the Juan Tabo Picnic area
picnicking at Doc Long's
standing in mid Albuqueruqe and looking at the Sandias or the Volcanoes
Use the words compiled by the groups to write a poem in free verse or Haiku. Share these poems with the other members of the class.
Sit quietly with closed eyes at the Rio Grande Center or in the Sandias and listen to the music created by the natural things around you.
Select an animal whose movements appeal to you. Note its habitat, mannerisms, shape, feeding habits, and any other characteristics which make you want to simulate its movements. Let your body express how you feel. Select music to accompany your dance.
Watch the changing
colors of the Sandias during the day. Paint an abstract picture with the colors
you like best and the colors of the sky; express the mood you associate with
the mountains.
On a field trip to the mountains, mesa or bosque, take time to make tactile discoveries. Feel a variety of smooth or rough objects and textures somewhere between smooth and rough. Describe these textures any way but verbally. Use bodily expression; graphic art forms such as rubbings, drawings, subtle washes of color or sketches in clay; or use sounds.
React to the joyful sensory experiences in the natural areas around Albuquerque by using a sense other than the one directly involved in the experience. Respond to a beautiful view through body movement, through the use of mood words. Express reactions to the sounds of nature by painting or drawing a picture. Or play music that expresses the majesty and power you see when you look at the mountains.
Use natural dyes such as onionskin, juniper, chamisa, and sage collected in open areas around the city to color yarn. Use these fibers to weave small rugs or mats. Check with the County Extension Agent before collecting to make sure none of the plants is an endangered species.
Make collages of natural materials gathered in the mountains, on the mesa, or in the bosque. Create designs that reflect the mood of each of these areas. Check with the County Extension Agent before collecting.
Bring in natural clays of different colors and use them to make paints. Paint pictures with these locally gathered materials. Find out about Indian paintings which use natural materials such as colored sand.
Using a buddy system, blindfold one person at a time and take a trust walk. Have the blindfolded partners describe differences in terrain and surfaces encountered on the walk as well as any heightened awareness they may experience in the sense of smell, sound or touch.
Find an object, a rock, stick, plant, etc. with which you identify in some way or which is appealing to you. Sit in a circle with classmates and take turns explaining why this object was selected.
"The Indian view is that man is part of a delicately balanced universe in which all components - all life forms and natural elements - interrelate and interact with no part being more or less important than another. Further, it is believed that only man can upset this balance." Tom Bahti
(Up to Section 1, Back to Additional Activities 1, On to Eye Opener Worksheet 2A)