PHOTOS: Gaithersburg Fourth Graders Show Off Artwork

fourth graders displayed original nature photographs and collages Saturday at the Washingtonian Center.

Led by teaching artist Joanne Miller and in collaboration with the school's fourth grade teachers, the students participated in an in-school arts integration residency supported by a grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.

Miller provided the students with 30 digital cameras to photograph "the nature on school property and model ecosystems comprised of mammals, insects, plants and water elements to reinforce principles of the science and art curriculum and to develop an understanding of relationships in an ecosystem," according to an AHCMC press release.

“Photography is one of the best ways to introduce children to nature,” Miller, an environmental photographer, said in a statement. “Many of the students at Gaithersburg Elementary School had very little experience in nature, so this was a new and wonderful experience for them, an experience that taught them observational skills while meeting science curriculum objectives.”

Miller also led a nine-week after school photography and nature program managed by Identity, a Gaithersburg-based agency providing programs for Latino youth and families in Montgomery County.