Primary School Workshops
Engaging in Creativity within the classroom
Within the classroom, engaging in creative, art-based practice plays a central role in shaping our sense of personal, social and cultural identity. As stated by the Primary School Visual Art Curriculum, participating in such activities allows us to try out new ideas, new ways of thinking and problem solving as it enhances the imagination, motivation and productivity.
Our workshops actively involve children in learning through doing, exploring and experiencing.
Evidence based research through our Heads UP (2016) and All Heads Together (2018) projects highlighted the value of engagement within the classroom with our reuse materials and proved that their open-ended qualities encourage:
- Greater engagement;
- Peer to peer communication and collaboration
- Problem solving and creative thinking
- A sense of achievement and well-being
Inclusive and Special Needs classrooms:
Heads Up and All Heads Together’ projects also proved that our materials were particularly beneficial to children with additional needs as they encourage alternative thought processes and enquiry, opening new avenues of self-expression and alternative ways of communication.
“It was a very inclusive process where children with special needs worked alongside children in a mainstream classroom. All the children’s creations were treated equally” (Teacher, Heads Up, 2016)
“We found the sessions beneficial for all the children’s language skills, motor skills, understanding of science and ability to think while doing” Primary School Teacher
Supporting the curriculum, ReCreate provide a range of tailored workshops for primary school:
- Within the classroom
- School Tours
- Continued Professional Development (CPD) for teachers
- Bespoke Croke Park Hour professional development workshops
- Team Building exercises for teachers
Workshops can take place in the classroom or at ReCreate’s Creative Zone within our premises in Ballymount, Dublin 12.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics)
Using STEAM, these workshops focus on fun, artistic activities that teach and explore a scientific, technological, engineering or mathematical finding or discovery.
Heads Up, 2016
“We found the activities beneficial for all the children’s language skills, motor skills, understanding of science and ability to think while doing” – Primary school teacher
Choose from one of the following:
- Crazy Colour Reactions – Explore how ingredients from the kitchen cupboard can create different reactions when mixed with paint. Watch the colour explode and create a work of art
- The Engineers’ Eye – Have you got what it takes to be an engineer? Experiment with balance and structure through a mixture of free-play construction activities that encourage children to build on their problem-solving skills.
- The Physics of Colour – Learn about colour theory, the artist’s palette, tones and shade through a process of identifying colours, sorting colours and creating some colourful imagery using an assortment of patterns and shapes
- Salt Circles – Did you know chalk can make white salt change colour? Become a magician and transform white salt into an array of colours. Then using the circle, make a large abstract image together, using foam ‘mosaic’ pieces and dyed salt for added colour
- All Shapes and Sizes – Using a selection of geometric shapes as a starting point, children will discuss and consider a variety of regular and irregular shapes. They can then form their own characters, each with a story to tell.
Creativity Through Reuse
Supporting the primary school curriculum, these workshops raise awareness among young people about the benefits of reusing materials, waste management and how creative approaches can help move their community toward a more sustainable future.
School children are encouraged to engage in hands-on processes of making and discovery. A selection of unusual materials is provided and under the guidance of the ReCreate artist, children consider how the materials can be reused, redesigned or repurposed.
Activities and themes include:
Plastic Planet – Throughout this workshop children are encouraged to think creatively about how to address the issue of plastic waste and explore how existing plastic products can be reused in a variety of creative ways. Over 90 minutes they will transform plastic materials and a range of other unusual reuse items into new, innovative, quirky, functional or decorative inventions or artwork. Our aim is to inspire curiosity about how to reuse plastic and encourage independent thinking throughout the classroom.
ReCreate Revolution – Creative Reuse in your community.
What is reuse? This workshop focuses on the value of ReCreate’s materials and every-day items we throw away after only one use. As these materials were made for a different purpose, their diverse source sparks invention and ingenuity when used creatively within the classroom. Guided by a ReCreate artist, children are encouraged to discuss and share their thoughts on reuse within their school, home and community and use the materials creatively to make a visual representation of their views on a more sustainable future.
Green Schools – Working Together for a Sustainable Future
Aim for your schools’ green flag with a little help from ReCreate. Focus on one of the 7 themes for your schools Green-Flag success. In these workshops children can discuss and act on issues they feel are important through the creation and making with reuse materials. For Example:
Litter and Waste
This 90-minute workshop highlights the issue of litter and waste through a hands-on creative workshop. Children are encouraged to think creatively about how to reuse and recycle. Taking inspiration from a large selection of reuse materials, sourced from ReCreate’s Warehouse of Wonders, children will have the opportunity to explore, use their imaginations and most importantly, create 3-dimensional solutions to combatting litter and waster in their community.
Biodiversity
This 90-minute workshop will look at native species of plants, animals and habitats. Children will discuss what is local to the area and consider what we can do to develop a species-rich environment. Students will then create their own habitat using a variety of reuse materials from ReCreate’s warehouse of wonders, highlighting the need to conserve, preserve and protect.
Afterschool workshop
Our open-ended materials, when used in play or for educational practice, are recognised for their advantageous effects on individuals. The freedom of expression that these materials promote is considered particularly beneficial to young children and those with additional needs.
Whether it’s creating a graffiti wall, making musical instruments or building and obstacle course, ReCreate can provide you with the materials and inspiration to bring the children in your afterschool’s creative and inventive ideas to life.
This workshop is for primary school age children who attend an afterschool group or club. Careful consideration is given to the children’s interests and capabilities and activities are planned in advance with their teachers or carers.
School Tours
Visit us at ReCreate and learn all about our Creative Reuse Project. Once you have explored all our materials, such as wool, foam, foil and plastics, venture upstairs to our Creative Zone. There, meet one of our team Creative Team, and together discover new ways to reinvent your favourite materials from our Warehouse of Wonders. Take your creation home and begin your journey of reuse with everyday items in your home or school.
CPD for Primary School Teachers
‘Teaching through the Visual Arts with Reuse Materials’
This 5-day accredited CPD course takes place in ReCreate, Ballymount.
‘Having used some of the materials available in ReCreate before, I see how much more I could have done. It gave me a bank of new ideas and inspiration, making me excited for future art practices in my classroom”, (Heads Up, 2016, teacher)
Outcome:
Through hands-on involvement with ReCreate’s reuse materials, you will discover new ways to integrate visual art activities into your classroom and enhance every child’s learning experience. You will experience the …
Activities:
During this CPD our Creative Team will guide you on an exploration of making, invention, thinking and learning that can be used within your teaching practice.
Each day you will focus on one of the following visual art strands:
- Drawing
- Paint and Colour
- Construction
- Fabric and Fibre
Using these strands you will be involved in collaborative and individual work with discussion, visuals and demonstrations making this an exciting and thought-provoking CPD.
By the end of the 5 days you will have produced a Creative Learning Journal to use in your classroom and share with your colleagues when you return to school in September.
Who is this for?
This CPD is for those working in the classroom at primary school level.
