CREATIVITY IN THE EARLY YEARS. CD-Rom and video: pound;25 each (plus pound;3 pamp;p) or pound;35 (plus pound;3 pamp;p) for both. From Pitshanger Manor and Gallery, Walpole Park, Mattock Lane, London W5 5EQ. Tel: Neena Sohal or Helen Walker on 020 8567 1227; email: pitshanger@ealing.gov.uk
Website: www.ealing.gov.ukpitshanger
Painter David Royle wants to “light the imaginative touchpaper”, and this CD-Rom and video package gives plenty of ideas and advice for early-years practitioners to do that.
Funded by the Arts Council of England and produced by Pitshanger Gallery in collaboration with the early-years division of the London borough of Ealing, it uses David Royle’s paintings as a basis for introducing the visual arts to young people.
Royle, a practising artist and teacher for more than 20 years, conveys his enthusiasm in an accessible way. The focus is practical: on drawing, colour, making paint, how paint behaves and displaying children’s art with original tips.
I would have been happier if the package had been called Creativity through Visual Art, as singing, music, dancing, imaginative play, role-play and stories are not covered. But young children learn holistically and Royle shows that other skills can be developed through art. For example, if children are encouraged to move with their whole body while drawing “flippy floppy” marks they will also be developing physically. Royle also believes that the basis of all good drawing is close observation of objects - and this can be said for learning across other areas of the curriculum.
The CD-Rom and video will be useful for in-service training or college courses. It offers practical advice on how to develop young children’s artistic skills. For instance, it gives instructions on how to mix natural materials such as sand, mud and cabbage with PVA for collage. Wonderful results of colour, texture, and shape in two and three dimensions can be produced at little cost.
The CD-Rom links to the Early Learning Goals are straight from the Department for Education’s Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, but the information may be easier to absorb in this format.
Both resources should be used as a starting point for discussion, giving consideration to the adult’s role in a child’s creative development. In the snapshots of nursery and infant schools, one adult continually asks questions, which, although well-meaning, can stifle a child’s desire to experiment.
Children’s creativity develops if they are provided with a rich and wide range of resources, and adults allow them time to explore and experiment with their own ideas. Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” I am sure that David Royle would agree.
Lorraine Frankish is early years tutor with the lifelong learning service at Rutland County Council
