I am in constant dialogue with myself when it comes to storytelling – searching for new ways to engage children in language and the arts. Felt cut-outs and recycled cardboard are useful but at this stage in my teaching career, I feel the need to challenge myself to involve a more diverse range of materials within storytelling, for both myself and the children. I have always welcomed the use of whatever is available in the room or on the shelf closest to you when a child asks you to read a story but… my goal is to create a thoughtful collection, something more permanent. With an emphasis on reusing materials and objects that I already have within my home, I am determined to make props for each of the stories I have in my library before I head back to school September 1st.

This afternoon while browsing my inspiration folder, this photo by the talented Miss Yokoo has reminded me that no matter how fuzzy or twisty the scraps from these ‘homemade props’ may be, they are worth saving and sharing.

Art + Photo by Yokoo

I like the idea of art that is temporary; creating on a bare table top or a the edges of a bookshelf. If you do too, be sure to have adhesives and paper nearby – some children just aren’t willing to accept that their creations get picked up piece by piece and put back into a glass container for use another day.

FUN! Artist Joel Henriques has provided us with a free template but I would like to encourage you to be inspired and inspire the little people around you to make their own Paper City. Please take some time to visit Joel’s blog – I am certain you will leave with an idea or five.

“Trees” an “Animated Art Gallery – Poetic Documentary about trees – Made by 22 Italian pupils (9y old) during Art and Music classes. To make this work they learnt to play the recorder, they played a real concert harp, they spent 2 years learning watercolour techniques for sky, bush and trees, studying the shape of a tree in different situations.

This video is produced with Free Open Source Software. Frames were grabbed with Stopmotion
developer.skolelinux.no/info/studentgrupper/2005-hig-stopmotion/index.php. Editing was done in Cinelerra. This video is published under the Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA 2.5 Italy.”

Alberi from Raffaella Traniello on Vimeo.

The making of ALBERI from Raffaella Traniello on Vimeo.

A Google search for ‘children + self-portraits’ lead me to this VIDEO presented by deputy headteacher and art co-ordinator Peter Sanders. This “programme shows how portraiture is extended and developed by all the year groups at Lauriston School in Hackney, east London.

Portraiture is taken beyond the boundaries of drawing and painting by using methods such as face painting in the nursery and large-scale three-dimensional modelling for the older pupils. The programme explores how introducing new skills and working with a wide range of materials can produce diverse results.

One of the many benefits of doing a whole-school art project is that it gives pupils and teachers a chance to see the variety of approaches and outcomes that can spring from a common starting point. It shows different ways of working which can be easily applied to other projects.”

Teachers TV: Share clever ways to begin the educational journey, ideas to aid literacy and communication, and help pupils understand and relate to communities.”

If there is one exhibition I would like to attend before the end of 2009, it is this one.

Natalie Abadzi and Jim Green November 19th-24th Nolias Gallery 60 Great Suffolk Street London UK