For Newtown Middle School seventh grade art enrichment students the entire school day on Friday, March 17, was spent painting miniature landscapes of national parks, inspired by artist Heidi Annalise.

NMS art teachers Leigh Anne Coles and Kristen Ladue oversaw the day. Ms Coles said she discovered the work of Ms Annalise while searching Instagram. When Ms Coles saw Ms Annalise's paintings of national parks on the lids of mason jars, she realized the school already had enough mason jars for the seventh grade day of art.

Students were tasked with researching a national park, designing the composition of their painting, creating their landscape, and inside each mason jar students created small terrariumlike exhibits inspired by the chosen park. Materials such as sand and rocks were available to fill the mason jars. Students used acrylic paints to decorate the mason jar lids.

Ms Coles and Ms Ladue also shared a list of national parks with the students to help them being looking for landscapes to paint. Once students chose a park, they researched pictures online to paint.

The project, Ms Coles said, is a way to help students "honor what we have" while learning about atmosphere and perspective.

From Crater Lake National Park in Oregon to Death Valley National Park in Arkansas students chose to paint a number of the country's national parks.