As part of our education programme with primary schools, we offer schools a 3-day nature art project for pupils between the ages of age seven and eleven. This spring and summer, we worked with Carno, Glantwymyn and Llanbrynmair schools. The project was run in collaboration with local artist Elin Crowley.
This programme aims to nurture interest, knowledge and love of nature, while each activity supports the Curriculum for Wales’ Areas of Learning and Experience. When planning the sessions, the schools’ staff were very keen that pupil wellbeing should be a primary focus.
The programme’s days are divided between spending time immersed in nature at Coetir Anian’s site, Bwlch Corog, and creating artworks inspired by nature back at the schools. On their visits to Bwlch Corog, the pupils’ time is focussed in the Celtic rainforest, where they learn about the special conditions needed for plants and lichens to thrive, the different layers of the rainforest, and some of the birds, animals and insects that live in this beautiful habitat.
Learning involves activities to explore and observe the colours, forms and textures that can be found in the rainforest, such as making charcoal on the campfire to then sketch the form of trees, pen and ink sketches of leaves, games to encourage leaf ID skills, and printing using plants and cyanotype paper.
The pupils are encouraged to help shape the activities as the programme progresses, and to decide on an art project to complete together, based on their experience of the rainforest.
“We spoke to the pupils at the end of the day and asked for their thoughts on what they would like to do for their art project. They all mentioned that they had really enjoyed making the Celtic rainforest collages and the nests/homes for birds and animals. As we discussed this with them, it became apparent that the pupils were keen to create their own ‘Celtic rainforest nest’ back in school. We could see that this would work well with the school having asked us to focus on wellbeing, as the ‘nest’ could be a safe space, a place of refuge and a place to have time out if a pupil needed space/time to themselves. Elin already had some tipi poles which she kindly donated to the art project with Ysgol Carno, and we bought a large piece of calico to create 4 material panels which would be sewn together and draped over the poles to create a shelter.”
– Clarissa, Coetir Anian Education and Community Manager
Ysgol Carno’s pupils created a tipi, decorated using different methods and using natural materials they’d collected from Bwlch Corog. They created monoprints of birds of the Celtic rainforest, used charcoal to sketch their interpretation of a Celtic rainforest onto the panels, used fabric paints, posca pens and pastels, and attached prints of leaves, grasses and bracken with needle and thread.
“The pupils were so proud of what they had created. The school will put the tipi outdoors in dry weather, and during the winter it will live in the space in the middle of the school onto which every classroom opens so that all pupils can access it.”
– Clarissa
At Glantwymyn and Llanbrynmair schools, large canopies were created (inspired by the canopy layer of rainforests) and 4 oversize cushions made to create a ‘nest’ under the canopy.
The canopies were decorated with mandala designs of leaves and flowers using stamps made by the pupils, and adorned with long strips of green material, themselves decorated with leaves and flowers drawn by the pupils, mimicking the ivy and honeysuckle growing up the trees in our Celtic rainforest.
“It was extremely rewarding working with the pupils and staff on these projects. The pupils worked so well together, and there was always much discussion, fun and sharing as they worked on the different activities. Everybody was animated and engaged, there wasn’t one pupil across the 3 schools who did not engage with this project. I enjoyed listening to the stories the pupils would tell me about special trees and nature in their area – they had obviously been talking to their parents about the project, and their parents and grandparents then told the pupils about special trees and nature in their local community.”
– Clarissa
Positive feedback was received from the schools’ staff about the effects engaging with the project and spending so much time outside had had on the pupils, and they later reported to us that the pupils were very keen to us the ‘nests’ they’d created together.
It’s clear that society as a whole is less connected to nature than in the past, and studies are now quantifying the extent of this change. Data collected from participants of our programmes and events has shown that even in our very rural area, many people spend very little time in nature, or have difficulty accessing wild places. Our youth programmes are carefully planned, with the goal of facilitating and increasing young people’s connection with nature – both for the benefits this brings them in terms of wellbeing and development, and for the benefits to nature and society that come with more young people knowing, understanding and caring for the natural world.
A very big thank you to Elin Crowley for steering the nature art project so thoughtfully and giving the children such creative experiences, and to the schools for making us so welcome.
This project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme. It is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government.
