During the month of Feb, The Art and Design Factory offered Primary school pupils, in the North, the opportunity to take part in a free art lesson, for Children’s Mental Health week. The pupils and some teachers learned how to draw and paint a landscape inspired by David Hockney.
Over 13k pupils joined in the lessons and created their own paintings by following Sinead’s step by step instructions. Teachers were amazed by their pupils final artworks and shared how their pupils were so focused during the lesson and enjoyed the whole experience.
Feedback from Teachers
“It was amazing! There wasn’t a sound as the children concentrated. Every child joined in and produced a fabulous painting. Even the classroom assistant and I joined in and painted pictures at the same time as the children. We all had a ball! We are going to make a gallery in the corridor to display our work. Thank you so much! Would love to do it again!”
“The children enjoyed the calmness of the lesson, the pace, the good instruction and the little pearls of wisdom like appreciating and being thankful for everything.”
“The Primary 7 pupils absolutely loved this art class, it was a great confidence booster for any pupils who feel that Art is their weakness, as it showed them how they can paint a beautiful picture by using their listening skills to follow instructions and guidance from Sinead. What we loved the most about the lesson, was the way Sinead spoke about how art is a form of mindfulness and how we can use the skill of art to relax and be mindful, looking after our mental health. The children found this very interesting and understand how they can implement art into their lives, to practise mindfulness.
“The instructions were clear and easy for the children to follow. They were totally engaged the whole lesson… which does not always happen when the lesson is long! Great for me to celebrate with them.”
“How the children felt as though they had really achieved something – initially they felt they couldn’t draw this landscape as it looked too complicated, but the step by step guide made them realise that they could. It was amazing to watch them grow in confidence from beginning to end. They were all so proud of what they’d painted”
Benefits of Art Education
Sinead has seen at first hand how Art and Design lessons empowers children, harnesses growth and enables them to improve their mental wellbeing.
Art and Design is one of the most important lessons to be taught on the curriculum as it enables our children to tap into their creativity and imagination, helps develop confidence, relax and improve their wellbeing.
