The Lied Center of Kansas presents Learning About The Environment Through The Arts, a pilot program providing arts and ecology experiences for second-grade students from USD497.

In addition to the main performance series, the Lied Center is also committed to offering several education and engagement opportunities to communities in Kansas, including a number of school-only programs and performances. The Learning About The Environment program features teaching artist in-class instruction, a field trip to the Baker Wetlands and a Lied Center school-only performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites presented by the Mermaid Theatre Company of Nova Scotia, all taking place over the next three months.

This past summer, teachers had the opportunity to take part in the Lied Center’s Teachers Summer Workshop. At this day-long workshop, among other strategies and lessons, teachers were able to explore how the arts can be used to teach students about biological life cycles tied to the second-grade science state standards.

Learning About The Environment Through The Arts starts out on Sept. 23-24 with teaching artist Priscilla Howe presenting the first part of the program with an exploration of the lifecycle of the dragonfly through puppetry. Her program, Zip, Zoom And Hover: Learning About Dragonflies Through Puppets offers a creative avenue to discover the natural world. When students later examine the Baker Wetlands, they have the tools to understand dragonfly habitat, behavior and lifecycle, kinesthetically.

In October, when the second-graders take field trips to the Baker Wetlands, volunteers from Wetland Learners will provide experiential learning of environmental cycles, insects, water, weather and the role the Wetlands play in those cycles.

Then, on Nov. 5-6, Pricilla Howe will return to visit the second-graders to discuss their Wetland tour and their observations. The class will have the opportunity to collaborate in creating a story about their experience at the Wetlands.

Finally, all second-grade students in USD497 (and other surrounding school districts) will be invited to attend a performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites presented by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia on Nov. 25.

his program is presented in part by the Kansas Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

For more information, please contact Lied Center Director of Education, Anthea Scouffas at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 785-864-2795.