Vacations are a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in a new world, where you can soak in all that is strange and new. When travelling with children, even the familiar places reveal strange new dimensions.
I grew up in St. Thomas, USVI, and return frequently to visit family and friends. My childhood home is a familiar place; and yet, exploring the island with my children opens new worlds.
In the past, we’ve investigated a wide variety of Caribbean subjects. This time our objective was to practice the art of observation.
What is the Art of Observation?
The art of observation is the act of seeing, describing, and explaining what you see. Both scientists and artists use the art of observation in their work. A scientist observes and interprets visual data in concrete, clear terms. The artist; however, may stretch his imagination to “see beyond looking.”
Observing with a Journal
It’s a given that on any trip, we each venture out armed with a journal. In my opinion, the only enjoyable part of packing for a vacation is selecting a notebook.
Alex chose a bright red composition notebook, while Kayla brought a simple steno book. I used two notebooks: a steno book with a pen clipped onto the spiral wires; and a classic moleskine journal. The first is a utilitarian scratch pad that is easily divided into sections. The second is an art object that inspires me to stretch my writing muscles. And, there’s a nifty piece of elastic to keep all the clippings, postcards, and brochures from falling out.
Scientific Observations
The budding scientist, Alex, used his journal to describe the Virgin Islands’ reptiles. Later, I typed his journal entries into his Alex and Leperdy’s Learning Adventures weblog at Lizards and Geckos.
Alex labored over the paragraphs in his journal – oh, the pain of writing! – and was reluctant to share his observation until we discovered the Flip Video, an inexpensive and super-easy-to-use camcorder. The short videos on his blog show how excited he was to encounter the lizards up close. Someday, he’ll be able to convey that enthusiasm in his writing; but, for now, the Flip Video is a remarkable tool for learning and communicating.
Both kids described a visit to Coral World Ocean Park in their blogs. Alex relied on his Flip Video to capture the experience in A Visit to the Reef, while Kayla captured the story behind the scenes in Coral World.
Following up on a science project for school, Kayla wrote up her scientific observations of tropical fruits on her Elferkid weblog at Caribbean Fruits.
My observations of local fruits weren’t quite so scientific. Diana, a long-time friend, who is also a descendant of the island’s French Huguenot population (locally referred to as ”Frenchies“) introduced me to the “sweet pea” fruit. This seed pod fruit, growing on a tree, was new to me, and I wondered if it had been discovered by scientists.
Diana told me that all the Frenchies would know about that fruit as it was a common tree on their farms. She also mentioned another fruit that her grandfather grew on his farm, the cocoa plum. Well, I immediately started wondering if these were lost treasures as many Frenchie farms have disappeared. Diana shook her head, called me a romantic, and moved on.
Artistic Observations - Writing, Sketching, Photography
Since I’m trying to develop my writing skills through the Pen On Fire program, I decided to hone my powers of observation while completing a writing exercise. I was supposed to write about a scene in a postcard, but decided to describe a postcard-worthy scene at the beach instead.
Beach Snapshot
An older man, wearing an old-time straw hat but sporting modern Billabong surfer dude swim trunks, is carefully applying blue paint to the underside of his dinghy. His boat is one of the few holdouts from a time when Frenchies formed a thriving fishing community on St. Thomas. These days you are more likely to see swarms of tourists and local beach parties at Magens Bay, than fishermen setting out seines.
It’s an ancient practice, carefully tending to a fishing boat, but maybe he isn’t a traditional guy. On the picnic table by the boat there are a few Budweiser cans and a neon yellow snorkeling set. It’s hard to reconcile these objects. Sure, Frenchie fishermen aren’t strangers to beer, but beer and a snorkel set? Beer and snorkeling is a lousy combination. Also, Frechies don’t go snorkeling just for the fun of it. They’re either spearfishing or checking their nets or lobster pots. But, pulling on a mask to check the nets isn’t snorkeling. And, spearfishing is not allowed on public beaches.
Is this man trying to hold on to his father’s fishing legacy, but only doing it out of a sense of obligation? I don’t think so. He obviously cares about this boat that he is lovingly painting a vivid shade of marine blue.
Ah, the mystery is solved. A pot-bellied, sun-burnt tourist – the obvious owner of the beers- returns to pick up his booty.
To learn more about the Frenchies in St. Thomas, we visited the French Heritage Museum in Frenchtown. While Kayla sketched one of those “old-time straw hats,” I snapped photos of the straw crafts exhibit and the fishing seines hanging on the wall. It’s a tiny museum that is valiantly preserving St. Thomas’ French heritage, while saving the story behind the history.
I’m still in hot pursuit of the Legend of the Cocoa Plum. If you can tell us more about this mysterious fruit, please post a comment!
Learning about the Art of Observation:
Science and Art … Observation Skills - Lesson plan that teaches students how scientists and artists are similar.
Exploring Art and Science Through Nonfiction Illustration - Art visits and workshops with Bob Marstall.
Collaborations: The Art of Observation- Medical students learn how to “observe, describe, and interpret visual information” through art program at New York’s Frick Collection.
The Art of Observation: Impact of a Family Medicine and Art Museum Partnership on Student Education - Abstract generated by Frick Collection program.
Yale in the art of observation extends its reach - Art of observation program benefits police and doctors.
Customer Anthropology: The Art of Observation - Business applications of the art of observation.
More articles about the Pen On Fire Writing Program:
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hey look a picture of me!!! Anyways mom, I’m tagging you in a game of meme. All you have to do is type you 5 worst nightmares then tag 3 people. ready… set… go!