Conquering SATs Stress withSeatsBy Paula Briggs

After a pressured year of SATs revision, the Year 6 pupils atBourn Primary Academy enjoyed an afternoon combating thestress of test week with a sculpture / DT session.

My chair

After two terms of sitting on the same blue chairs beingtaught (and taught very well!) the same curriculum, I wanted

to remind the children that they were all individuals withdifferent areas of skills and unique personalities and thatthey were all valued as such.

We talked for a few minutes about the blue stackable schoolchairs - about what the chairs were (uniform, practical, hard)and what they were not (imaginative, comfortable, fun). Iasked the children to think for a few minutes about whatchairs MIGHT be - if we were thinking creatively and withoutrestriction. I challenged the children to become furnituredesigners, and create a chair which expressed theirpersonality. I reminded them they didn't have to think HOW itmight reflect their personality - just by the very fact thatthey made intuitive choices when thinking about whichmaterials to use, which shapes to make, and how they mightconnect materials together, their personality would comethrough.

I introduced the materials and tools, and asked them to thinkabout how they might start with the materials which would helpthem build a structure (foamboard, cardboard, wire, woodensticks), and then to think about how they would fastenmaterials together. I gave two short demonstrations:

Using pliers and fastening with wireMaking paper tape from paper/fabric and extra strong pvaglue

I emphasised that we were NOT going to design on paper first,but instead to design through making. AccessArt promotes thisidea as until children have an empirical knowledge of thematerials they are going to use to make, designing on papercan become an abstract exercise. Instead, when designingthrough making, much of the time taken up in any session is toallow the children to begin to experience and understand whatthe materials might be capable of. If things go wrong duringthis phase (as they will, when things fall over, or handsstruggle to connect materials) children need to be helped to

understand that this is a normal part of the process, and thatoften ideas and materials will come together quite late in thesession. Teachers and pupils need to keep the confidence!

The session lasted 1.5 hours.

Many thanks to Helen Culley for inviting AccessArt in to runthe session.

Thinking through making: how can we connect materialstogether?

Using tools

Working together

Designing through making

Making can be hardwork

This is a sample of resource created byUK Charity AccessArt. We have over 1100resources to help develop and inspireyour creative thinking, practice andteaching.

AccessArt welcomes artists, educators,teachers and parents both in the UK andoverseas.

We believe everyone has the right to becreative and by working together andsharing ideas we can enable everyone toreach their creative potential.

Inspired by this Resource?See more Sculpture projects for children

Inspiration for sculpture and DT inschools“Inspires Intelligent making to prepare the next generation ofcreative makers and thinkers”, Lesley Butterworth, NationalSociety for Education on Art & Design. Find out More

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Find out how AccessArt Supports Making inSchoolsAccessArt has been working for many years to help support andpromote making as an activity which children need to be doingmore of in schools (and possibly at home too!). Find out More

Brilliant Makers Clubs

Clubs to Encourage Making in PrimarySchoolsWe want to enable even more creative opportunities in localcommunities by creating a network of Brilliant Makers Clubs,and we hope you’ll consider being a partner to this project bysetting up your own Brilliant Maker Club. Find out More