Famous Artists for Kids ~ Linnaeus Art Activities

Let’s get started on our famous artists for kids unit on Linnaeus!

Here are some fun Linnaeus Art activities that kids will find fun and educational.

Don’t forget to visit our resources hub for music and fine arts!

It is full of wonderful hands-on ideas for you to use at home.

Famous Artists for Kids

Who was Carl Linnaeus? Well, here are some Carl Linnaeus facts for you to share with the kids.

Carl Linnæus was a phenomenal artist, but he didn’t start out that way. Actually, his passion was botany.

Botany is the study of plants. He was born in Sweden in 1707 and is called the “Father of Modern Taxonomy.”

What did Carl Linnaeus do? He was a prominent botanist, zoologist and even a physician.

In this post, we will share with you some information about Linnæus (lin-ay-oos) and how he did some of his art.

Carl Linnaeus Facts

Linnæus lived in the Swedish countryside as a child.

That is where his love for nature, botany and zoolgy came about. He loved flowers the most and it shows in his beautifully unique sketches.

He would grow his own in a little patch of ground that he had all to himself.

He was very passionate about plants, often neglecting his studies to go outside to observe plants.

Linnaeus System Classification

Why was Carl Linnaeus famous? He made amazingly accurate sketches of plants and flowers.

They are impressive.

They are drawn from different angles and also there were some circles where he would draw zoomed-in sections of the plants for a closer look.

This is how we have sought to honor Linnæus’ legacy: we draw our own flower sketches by observing real flowers up-close.

Linnaeus Art Activities for Kids

For this project, you need:

• a real flower for each child (same kind or a variety)
• sketch paper (a sheet or two per child)
• a sketch pencil
• a good eraser
• colored pencils

Sax Drawing Paper – 70 pound – 9 x 12 inches – Pack of 500 – WhiteRoyal & Langnickel Essentials Sketching Pencil Set, 12-PieceSTAEDTLER premium quality vinyl eraser, Mars plastic, white, phthalate & latex free, age-resistant, minimal crumbling, blistercard of 4 erasers, 526 50 BK4Prismacolor 3599TN Premier Colored Pencils, Soft Core, 72-Count

1. Start with giving each child the materials mentioned above.
2. Children then place their flower on the sketch paper and make a small mark on the top and the bottom of the flower and the stem to mark the size of it. It will help to make the sketch more true-to-size.
3. Children move the flower off the sketch paper, but keep it next to the paper as they begin sketching the petals of the flower as it lays on the table and work their way down to the stem.
4. Once they are done with that, they move the flower to where they can see the top of the flower and sketch it next to the complete sketch of the flower.
5. If there is time, they can make 2-3 circles toward the top of the sketch paper (about 2 inches in diameter) to sketch some close up details on the flower. For example, if it is a sunflower, maybe make a zoomed-in sketch of the seeds or maybe choose to sketch the details on the flower’s leaf.
6. End the activity by signing the artwork and using colored pencils to give it a splash of color.

Linnaeus Art Activities

There are other things to incorporate, but as of now, this will be a great way to start and understand how Linnæus worked through his sketches.

If you got a variety of flowers, kids could take turns sketching 2 or 3 different ones to display.

Or if they are wildflowers, go outside every morning for a week and take a few minutes to sketch one.

What do you think? Totally doable, right?

Here are some fun Art lessons that kids will enjoy.

Some are also lessons on famous artists for kids to learn more about!