Artwork Connects Us All

Art is an important communications and education tool for the Three White Cranes project, as we strive to share information and experiences between three different languages and cultures. Recently we've received news about two art projects completed by Three White Cranes schools in the United States and China:

Each year Jan Weiler's third grade class at Golda Meir School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin learn about cranes through classroom activities, art projects and a class field trip to the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Jan recently emailed us images of her top three "craniacs" - students whose crane artwork were chosen as best in the class (the students and their artwork are pictured below). Thank you, Jan, for sharing this news, and congratulations to your student winners! Photos by Jan Weiler

We also would like to celebrate the students in the Xianghai Middle School art club in northeastern China. The students painted a new mural this fall in their village (click here to read about the first mural that the students painted last summer). The mural is entitled, "Build our home, hand in hand," and shows the Xianghai village past, present and future. ICF is sponsoring a video about this project, focusing on how the Xianghai students are learning about their environment and its problems, and how they are taking action through art and example to bring solutions to their community. We look forward to the student's next project and thank the Xianghai art club for sharing their inspiring story! Photos by Shi Yanqiu

Golda Meir Craniacs

Jan Weiler, 3rd grade teacher at Golda Meir School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, recently sent us several pictures from her class field trip to the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in October. Jan noted that it was a cool, cloudy day with the students at ICF and in the field in Briggsville, WI, where they learned about the mission of ICF, the cranes on display in the ICF exhibit area, and cranes in the wild in Briggsville, where they saw Sandhill Cranes in newly cut fields.

The students gathered in the ICF Visitor Center to begin their tour - check out their Golda Meir Craniacs hats!

The class then met up with Joan Garland, ICF's Outreach Coordinator, for the tour of ICF. The students learned how scientists dress in a crane costume while raising Whooping Cranes for release into the wild, so the chicks do not imprint on humans.

The students also talked with Zhang Juan, educator from Beijing Brooks Education Center, who taught the students about the migration of Siberian and Red-crowned Cranes in East Asia. Zhang Juan was in Wisconsin for the teacher exchange portion of the Three White Cranes project.

On the way home to Milwaukee, the class stopped at Neenah Creek Elementary School in Briggsville, WI to talk with Anne Lacy, ICF's Sandhill Crane Project Manager. She showed the students how she tracks cranes banded with radio transmitters and studies them in the wild.

Thank you to Jan and her class for sharing their experience with us! If you would like to share a story about a recent class activity or project, please email us at trackingcranes@savingcranes.org.