Between May and July 2022, the Harley Foundation’s Education Team ran a series of five workshops for children attending Childfirst Nursery Welbeck.
Childfirst Welbeck is located on the Welbeck estate in the old poultry house. This setting provides great access to outdoor spaces and offers the perfect opportunity for children to play and explore in fun and engaging ways. Because of the nursery’s focus on outdoor learning, this series of workshops took inspiration from the natural environment of the Welbeck estate and explored links between art and nature.
Activities included tree rubbings, leaf prints and making blossom out of tissue paper. The children also created peg butterflies and papercraft birds. In addition to these crafts, the participants learned the basics of colour theory. They also took part in some drama warm up games, including an imaginary trip to a forest which then informed the creation of some forest themed art!
When planning the workshops, the Harley Education Team drew upon the Lift Off! educational framework. Lift Off contains developmental guidelines and art lesson ideas across the 3 to 11 age range. It is free to download here.
