Past Projects
Bodies:
We did a whole term, which is eight sessions, on the Body. We brought in a real human skull and half skeleton for the children to look at and draw. We invited a doctor to come and talk to us about the amazing circulatory system and the internal organs and their functions. Then we bought a sheep’s innards and offal from a local butcher and brought them in for the children to see – and touch if they dared! They could also inflate the lungs with the use of a plastic tube to see what happened in the breathing process. They then made torsos and innards from brightly coloured plasticine, and in the final sessions made their own skeleton / body with electrical wire for ribs, placing the innards from the previous week inside, and encasing the whole thing in cling film.
Volcanoes:
With the skies of Europe filled with volcanic ash drifting down from Iceland last year, we made volcanoes our theme for a term. We made our own Pompeian body volcanic ash stencils on strips of white sheets: the children worked in pairs, one lay down and the other drew the outline of their body on newspaper – the shape was cut out, placed on the cloth and then powder paint was scattered on it around the edge – so that a ghostly outline was left once the paper was lifted. We also made volcanoes, leaving a hole in the middle so that we could then create an explosion using bicarbonate and vinegar. Finally, we made volcano cakes for our end of term party covered in lurid icing.
Graffiti Art:
Inspired by artists like Banksy and several of our teenage children – we got the children to make their own graffiti art. The teenage boys demonstrated their skills with spraycans on large 8’ x 4’ sheets of hardboard – and we then added the children’s work, using paint and collage.
Outside Summer projects:
In the summer term whenever possible we like to work outside. The school has a large playground, with trees and raised flowerbeds, there are also shaded areas with fixed tables where we can sit and work. The school is situated on the edge of a vast open space called Port Meadow
River of Gold:
This was a very simple idea, arising from the material itself – a long roll of narrow gold paper – to make a River of Gold by unrolling the paper from the entrance to the meadow and seeing how far it extended. The children took turns in the unrolling and then stood and placed stones on the paper at points along the way keeping it flat.
Small things in trees:
We made small creatures out of plasticine, wire and beads, incorporating leaves and twigs, and then placed them in the branches of trees in the playground, or amongst the shrubbery in the flowerbeds.
Treewrap:
The children made small quite delicate drawings on paper which they then wrapped around the slender trunks of silver birches around the playground, using cling film. These remained there for several weeks for the whole school and parents to see.
End of Term party:
For the final session of the Summer Term we always have a Tea party – with some sort of theme – the children can decorate their own plates, ice their own cakes and then eat them. We once had a Storming of the Bastille party on July 14th, but stopped short of guillotining the teachers! We also say goodbye to the Year 6 children, many of whom have been with us for a long time.
Animals:
We did a whole term on this theme – drawing and making imaginary animals, looking at the earliest drawings in the world – cave paintings of animals – and making our own versions. For the final session one of our helpers who owns a horse rode it into the school grounds, and 60 children sat and drew – totally still and absorbed in their work, while the horse stood patiently.