Art, Design & Technology
Art
Children have a great imagination and love to be able to express it in different ways. Art allows them to share their ideas and we encourage the use of a wide range of styles from silk painting through graphite drawing to painting. The skills are developed as the pupils progress through school, moving from self expression to teaching specific skills and styles.
How can I help my child?
- Take them to art galleries to see different styles.
- Discuss images seen when out with your child.
- Encourage them to draw for fun.
Design Technology
DT is concerned with working with tactile materials to understand how to create solutions to a problem. It goes beyond model making. It requires the child to think about the task set and decide on the best solution. As a child progressess through the school they develop confidence to think of their own solutions which will best solve the problem set. In the resistant materials units, whether it is designing a racing car from wood and card or a christams card using LEDs, resistors and wires or even a rocket drdriven but compressed air, they will have the opportunity to test, improve and finalise their own design. It is a subject that encourages children to be creative and try new ideas, some of which are new even to the teachers.
Textiles is also included and involves children becoming more confident in different stiches as they move throught the school until they reach year 6 when they use a sewing machine. These useful skills help the children to experience a medium that they may otherwise not ever try, as well as learning useful skills for life.
The final area covered in DT is food Technology. This is not just about making cakes. The focus of this topic is again understanding the food used and deciding how changes to recipes can be made. The pupils start in reception where they experience different foods and even see foods cooked in their class. This early start helps children to enjoy food and the variety it offers. It also allows, from an early stage, for healthy food options and awareness of where food comes from to be developed. as they progress through the school they will start to experience a range of cookery skills. With the new curriculum that has come in we are developing our new programme of study. This will include cooking eggs in six ways, bread, pastry and even full meals.
Design Technology draws knowledge and understanding from a wide range of other subject areas. It gives children the chance to become aware of the ways in which technology changes their homes and their lifestyles. The children are encouraged to investigate and explore simple designs to gain a greater understanding of materials, structures, mechanisms and controls; to learn specific skills using a range of tools under careful supervision, and to design and make quality items. We cover the skills of resistant materials, fabrics and electronics and food technology.
How can I help my child?
- Make junk models together.
- Show children how to cut properly and encourage them to cut. For example, cut old christmas cards up to make labels for presents.
- Work out the best tools and equipment to use to make and decorate models.
- Teach your child to thread a needle and sew simple stitches.