Sonja Williams brings Elemental Activist to the Artist in Schools program.

I am so excited to bring the Elemental Activist program to my son's 6th-grade class. We started with a baseline art project.

We talked about what influences us and turned our focus toward nature. They wrote for a while on something in nature which influences them and afterward made a drawing inspired by what they wrote.

Here is a sample of what they wanted to express.

Two weeks later I gave them an overview of who and what an Elemental Activist is and we went on a hike to Abbott's Lagoon.

It was a wonderful 1.5-mile hike out to the beach. Sweeping clouds gave us a bit of rain right as we got to the beach which only added to the splendor. We talked and took pictures for the purpose of drawing nature closer and each of us had a little time alone to be in conversation with wind, sea, sun and rain.

A major premise of Elemental Activist is that humans create trash when they forget they are nature and a way to remind ourselves of who we are is to spend time with nature. In doing so, we become whole. When we become whole we act in ways which bring well-being to nature and to ourselves. 

We will continue this project with follow-up hikes, writing and drawings.