Geometry Is for the Birds

High-school students, art, math, and a local retirement home can create the perfect formula for academic kindness.

The common denominator for heartfelt cross-curricular projects is often the arts. Part of this equation involves partnering with teachers from other content areas who are willing to experiment and take chances—and they exist in every school, sometimes in the most unlikely places.

When the worlds of art and math combined with a goal for a project to include elders in our community, interconnectedness became the foundation for the effective teaching of academics, art, and kindness.

Pursuit of Collaboration
The inspiration for our unit, dubbed Geometry Is for the Birds, was a summertime birdwatching session on the porch of a retirement home. The joy there was evident, as was the opportunity to expand upon it by having students create a birdhouse for each resident in the community. The idea gained momentum because our school’s framework encourages cross-curricular experiences. After a conversation with a kindred math teacher and a green light from the activities director, who gave us a list of all the residents and their hobbies to serve as inspiration for the designs, we were good to go!

Meeting One: Choosing a Design
The first step in bringing this idea to life was deciding on a birdhouse design that was affordable and allowed students to learn the desired aspects of geometry. During my first meeting with the math teachers, we decided to order a sample of unfinished wood birdhouse kits to use for reference. The math teachers worked on the geometry lessons they would link to the design, and I assembled several birdhouses for demonstrating basic collage and painting techniques.

Meeting Two: Project Test-Run
When piloting something new, it’s good practice to first try out the same process that your students will follow, and the math teachers did just that at our second meeting.

I arranged the supplies and guided them through building, designing, and painting their own birdhouse from the ground up. This can be real eye-opening for your colleagues, because they often underestimate the time and planning necessary for an art-related project, particularly one that will take place in a math classroom.

Logistics and Supplies
Ultimately, we decided that the creation of the birdhouses would be structured into three phases, each consisting of one ninety-minute class period. Our schedules didn’t allow for the experience to take place simultaneously or in the art room, so two carts filled with the birdhouses, glue guns, acrylic paint, paintbrushes, découpage medium, scissors, collaging papers, plastic containers, permanent markers, paint pens, pencils, hairdryers, drop cloths, sealant, and paper towels were shared among the math teachers.

Production
Phase One consisted of building and brainstorming. Students assembled their birdhouse kit and secured the interlocking notches with hot glue. Afterward, they were assigned a resident from the retirement home and used a list of their hobbies to guide their design. The birdhouse examples were shared alongside basic painting and collage techniques, and students were given time to brainstorm ideas.

Phase Two involved painting the base colors on the birdhouse. Students were guided to add a base coat first and sketch out their idea on top. Students who preferred to use the découpage technique had access to various papers, scissors, and découpage medium and planned out the arrangement of these items.

In Phase Three, we made sure that all students had time to complete their design and apply sealant to weatherproof the birdhouses.

Building Community
The project culminated in a school field trip to the retirement village, where students interacted with the residents and delivered their creations. This part of the experience was heartwarming—the residents were surprised, delighted, and visibly touched by the custom-made birdhouses, while students reported feeling happy that their efforts were well received. Bright faces and lifted energy on that day created a lifelong memory for everyone involved.

Our schools are tasked with developing knowledgeable and caring young people who will go on to create a better and more peaceful world. We can attain this goal by continually providing opportunities for kindness.