James Aldridge, featured in our April 2014 issue, comes back to Chorleywood in May for his third day working with staff, children and parents from Chorleywood Primary School on the Common Art project.
“I was asked to lead the project by Alistair from Outdoor Culture, who in turn is managing this and another project for the Chilterns AONB as part of their wider Chiltern Commons Project. “ says James “We are using art to explore and respond to the multi-layered nature of the Common, its biodiversity, geography, history, and its potential as a play and educational space for local people.”
“We want to enable each child to access and apply their creativity to their learning, and make connections of relevance to themselves with the Common, sessions so far have given the group opportunities to explore, gather and research; to be playful, hands-on and experimental.”
“Each child has a sketchbook to record their journey through the project, and between each of my monthly visits is working with their teacher Haydn to research further those aspects of the Common that interest them the most. In March we were given an introduction to the amphibians that make the Common’s ponds their home or which visit to breed, by ranger Andy Goddard, and responded to the experience in our sketchbooks. In April we worked in small teams to gather fallen branches, bracken, stones and wood shavings to creative animal artwork, then back at school using mark-making and recycled materials.”
James Aldridge working with Chilterns Commons Project/Chilterns AONB/CWPS
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