As part of our arts based ‘Hundred Languages’ Learning Adventure, all year groups recently visited the Russell Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, where they took part in a range of activities to learn about the collection / exhibitions and develop their own art skills. The children took part in a tour of the museum with a member of the museum team, during which they observed the artefacts, art works and architecture on display, whilst learning a range of interesting facts about the museum. They also spent time sketching in the galleries, selecting the pieces of art work that interested them and capturing their own impressions of the art works on paper. During the sketching activity it was wonderful to see each of the children marvelling at the different art works and demonstrating the confidence to draw and practise art making in a public space. In addition, the children visited a special exhibition based on the poetry book ‘The Lost Words’, where they explored the images and poetry, before creating their own collage based art work inspired by the work they had seen.
The visit supplemented the school’s current Learning Adventure in a range of ways, including providing children with the opportunity to experience fine art at first hand, to view themselves as artists as they sketched in the galleries and to learn about how art can be used to communicate ideas. On returning to school, many of the children used the art works they had seen as inspiration for their own creations, and the whole school also collaborated to produce our special Summer Fair performance of our own version of ‘The Lost Words’, which included poetry, dance and song. In this way, our educational visits to the Russell Cotes also reinforced the message of the ‘Hundred Languages’ title of our Learning Adventure, exemplifying that children (and adults) have a multitude of ways through which they can express themselves. The visits were enjoyed by all, and we were also very proud of the children for the wonderful comments that members of the museum team gave about their super behaviour, listening skills and interest in the arts – well done children!
