Bawdeswell

The visit to Bawdeswell was in springtime, and included opportunities to think about the pattern of the seasons, plants growing, and birds foraging and building nests. Using the strip of woodland at the side of the playing field for collecting patterned and textured materials, the general aim was to enhance the children's awareness of their immediate environment.

The day began with a workshop studying objects from Papua New Guinea. Slides were shown and the idea of Papua New Guineans going to school on a canoe was used to reflect our own different ways of getting to school in the morning. The children discovered patterns, colours and textures on the objects that related to nature, which they could related to natural patterns in the environment. The art workshop in the afternoon concentrated on pattern making using print techniques, with close reference to items foraged from the school's nature area.