Ah, high school. It’s a time of growth, independence, and a LOT of learning! When it comes to high school science, we often think of heavy textbook reading and intricate labs. While these can often lead to excellent learning opportunities, it can also cause frustration with students who tend to be “artsy kids.” Visual learning is a must for students with an artistic personality, but how does a parent and teacher interest their artsy kids in science?
A Few Simple Ways to Start Incorporating Art and Science
We’ll get to some specific project ideas in a moment, but let’s talk about some ways that you can incorporate art into your high school student’s everyday science coursework.
To start, remember that artsy kids tend to be visual learners. This means that sitting down and reading a textbook won’t always be the best way for them to understand a concept. You likely won’t be able to avoid a textbook completely (especially at a high school level), but look into other ways besides straight reading to help your child grasp new ideas. This might include:
- Watching videos about a concept
- Drawing/coloring while listening to someone else read the material
- Recapping what they learned by drawing a representation of the concept they’ve learned
Secondly (and maybe less commonly recommended), equip your student with plenty of school/office supplies to use as they learn. This might mean they get to use colorful highlighters to highlight text as they read. Or, have a whiteboard in your school room area and let your student write/draw key concepts as they read about them. You can even have them “be the teacher” and teach what they’ve learned to you!
Finally, do ALL the projects! For whatever curriculum you choose to use, make time to complete each project or experiment! Most kids, regardless of age, thrive with hands-on learning, and it’s a great way to reinforce what they read in a textbook.
To get you started in the project category, here are 5 high school science projects that combine art and science. We hope that even your most artsy kids will find them engaging and fun!
5 High School Science Projects to Engage Artsy Kids
Adult supervision is recommended for any science project, regardless of your student’s age!
Earth and Space Coloring Book
Coloring books aren’t just for little kids anymore! We love this earth and space coloring book because it uses actual imagery from NASA to create intricate drawings that require artistic talent to complete. Aside from this great option, there are SO many other “older kid” coloring books available online that will appease your art-loving high school students!
Nebula Art
A nebula is a giant (and beautiful!) cloud of dust and gas expelled into space. Since very few can be seen with the naked eye, this project combines art and science to make your own “model” nebula! With just a few easy-to-find art supplies, your artsy high school student can swirl colors and create designs while they learn about how a nebula is formed and what makes it so stunning to look at.
Helpful tip: Check out your local dollar store for super cheap canvases! They also probably have the glue, toothpicks, and glitter that you need.
Flower Petal Paints
Did you know that you can turn flower petals into vibrantly colored paints? It’s true! All you need is flowers, water, and all-purpose flour. Students will love watching flowers release their dyes, and you can lead a biology discussion about where that pigmentation comes from and what purpose it serves to each flower. Then, let your student use the paints to create an artistic masterpiece!
Painting With Magnets
When learning about the physics of magnets, you’ll discover that magnets only work in motion. Painting also requires motion, so let’s combine the two and use magnets to paint! This activity is extremely simple, but it’s an open door for creativity. You can even expand on this project by providing different sizes and shapes of magnets.
Metal Art STEAM Project
This project takes a bit more in supplies than your typical science experiment, but it’s the perfect activity for older kids. Your high school student will use chemistry and their pure artistic talent to create a unique metal art piece that displays the chemical process of oxidation. Because this project uses acids and chemical reactions, make sure you are fully supervising your student as they complete this project!
Engaged Learning Requires a High-Quality Curriculum
Sit down. Read 10 pages of textbook. Take quiz. Repeat each week.
That’s no way for any student to learn, much less those who tend to be visual and artistic learners! At Journey Homeschool Academy, we’ve made it our goal to prepare your high school student for college and beyond. We do so through online science courses that stimulate critical thinking through rich visuals, videos, and projects!
There’s no reason why even your most artsy kids shouldn’t be able to enjoy science, and it’s part of our mission to make science engaging for every homeschool student, regardless of age or learning style. Learn more about our courses and see how they can enrich your child’s education!
