SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Montessori students at N J MacPherson School in Grades 3, 4 and 5 have been anxiously preparing for a visit from Yellowknife artist Terry Pamplin.

Michael Elms, left, shows off his drawing of a mushroom while his classmate Branda Le's picture features a branch full of cranberries. - Andrea Bennington/NNSL photo

Pamplin lent his expertise to the students last week, after a class field trip studying Northern plant life had them putting pen to paper to recreate what they had observed.

The project grew out of art teacher Sean Daly's collaboration with classroom teachers Scott Lough and Raegan Delisle, teacher of the Montessori class, to integrate the arts across the curriculum and bring together art and science.

Students are tasked with designing a book, which will feature Northern plant life, everything from mushrooms and moss to cranberries and wildflowers. When completed, the book will be featured in the school library with each contributing student receiving an illustrated copy.

"Some students have told me that they have never paid so much attention to plants growing in their own backyards before," said teacher Scott Lough. "One girl told me, 'did you know some people think yarrow is a weed?' "

The project is a more meaningful learning experience for students, said Lough, in that students tailor their learning to suit their own interests.