Creative Scribbles

It can be easy to forget that a child’s mind works in a wildly-different way to that of an adult. DesignBox Architecture director Philip Wells was reminded of this when he ran a series of creative workshops at a London primary school... Children learn very quickly. Their learning patterns are led by their conceptual thoughts at first, and then by experience as they get older. When children are faced with new challenges, their thinking methods are not confined to established preconceptions of how things should look or work. Instead they are more fluid, often very confident and usually unique. For example, the below series of Monster drawings by Jack (age 3) were presented with a very rational and clear description of what each of the monsters did, identifying all their features, and reasoning behind even differences in colour. As kids get older, conventions take over, and their creativity becomes more tailored to established preconceptions. Their conce...

How can a teacher help their pupils through the hardest of personally-difficult times? Dan Graham, editorial director at Tide Mill Media, takes a look at four picture books that can help children deal with grief. About 5% of children will have experienced the death of a parent by the time they are 16, while 92% will lose someone important to them. At any one time, around 70% of schools have a bereaved pupil in their care, according to Child Bereavement UK . When the worst happens, teachers provide an invaluable source of support, guidance and care for their pupils. Just being there, ready to listen and support your pupils in times of tragedy is vital. Children find it distressing to see their parents upset and they need teachers, classroom assistants and mentors to be strong and provide reassurance through this difficult period in their lives. Children often express their feelings during the grieving process very differently to adults, and may have trouble coping with ever...