Water Before Us and Lilypad: water themed nature art kits in 2021

Frogtown, Como and Trout Brook get kiosks in 2021

The team of Gita Ghei and Steph Hankerson redoubled efforts to offer kits via Mobile Nature Art Kiosks in 2021. Nature Art Kiosks were born in the previous year in response to pandemic limitations on community events for families. The Kiosks are used to distribute kits that are designed to spark creative expression coupled with hands-on interactive activities to inspire stewardship and connection to natural resources. In 2021, Capitol Region Watershed District provided sponsorship for water themed kiosks that popped up at Frogtown’s Lily Pad community garden, Como Lake and Trout Book Nature Sanctuary.

An ancient water hunt

Gita’s creative power was the main force behind development of the urban seek-and-discover ancient water hunt. The “Water Before Us” hunt was performed via cloud kiosks and their kits. Artist designed kiosks conveyed learning about ancient waterways, wildlife, how the shape of land affect people's movement and settling. This formed the context around the hands-on exploration (kits) about water stewardship.

In total 270 kits of two different types were shared over 8 weeks this summer. Two locations served as kit distribution points and places for hunting of ancient water; Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary and Como Lake. Both the Ice Cream Glacier kit and the Pollution Solution tea kits encouraged youth to use their imagination and taught concepts of glaciers and wetland filtration in a hands-on way. At Como, Ice Cream glaciers were very popular. Kids doing this activity in our presence said things like “ This is the best activity we have done all week!”.

When Gita went to the Como kiosk with the Streetcar rec center youth, she saw kids make connections to the relief map and their own surroundings that were thought provoking, such as, “where did all that water go?” (that was in the ancient lake)? And, pointing to the wider ancient river valley downtown, she heard, “that would have been up by the Science Museum”; they were encouraged to make their own connections to geography and water and hence watershed.

270 kits were shared across 6 weeks at Trout Brook & just over 2 weeks at Como Lake.

Activating the Lily Pad in Frogtown

In May 2021, Gita created an eye-catching kiosk painted with native Minnesota frogs that was installed at the Lily Pad community garden / gathering space and outdoor learning center. Soon after Steph and Gita supplied it with 4 different nature kits (art and science materials in simple paper bags, each with step-by-step artist-drawn instructions). Over the season, 350 kits were distributed from the kiosk.

Patricia Ohmans of Frogtown Green says, “The kits were cleverly designed and made use of simple materials. For example, one kit invited children to think about their favorite clouds and to create cloud-shaped markings, using sponges, white chalk and blue paper. Another supplied tea materials to model the function of a raingarden, demonstrating how polluted water can be filtered through plants and soil. A third kit supplied handmade photosensitive paper that explored Minnesota frog species with stencils. Our fourth kit included beads, foil and other materials for children to fashion “Water Protector” medallion necklaces to inspire reverence for water resources.”

Each water-themed nature art kit came with artist-drawn step-by-step instructions.