I worked as an Artist in Residence at the Beach House Day Nursery for 2 years. I facilitated several different art projects led by the children at the nursery and alongside the manager who was writing her dissertation about creativity in Early Years Settings.
One of the projects we worked on was looking at dinosoars’ – as this was a particular favourite topic for many of the children. We used clay and ciment fondu to create ‘fossils’ which were buried and dug up in a playful archaeological approach.
We also made screen prints of dinosaur shapes using torn newsprint paper.
The work was documented and linked to many areas of the EYFS curriculum, creating a visual slideshow of the process alongside the art work that was produced throughout the project. This was shown in an empty shop gallery space in the local town and workshops were run at the gallery throughout 2 weeks for children and their families who came to see the exhibition. A local radio station came to report.
The exhibition was set up to share the art of very young children and open peoples eyes up to the importance of creativity in the early years.
