Chapels and Churches

Chapels and Churches

Creative Development

Introduction

Art, craft and design involves children in learning to use all of their senses, their observation skills, memory, feelings and imagination, as well as expressing their responses in two and three-dimensional creations. ( page 14 Creative Development, in the foundation Phase Framework for Children’s learning for 3 to 7 years olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government)

Welsh Chapels have been an important part of Welsh culture and for generations they have been at the centre of community life, and as Anthony Jones once said, they became the national architectures expression of Wales. There is a chapel in almost all villages in Wales and is a first-hand example of Welsh Art.

These activities could stem from an initial visit to a chapel/church in your locality

Prepare the children before the visit

Before entering the chapel, ask the pupils to be aware of how they feel as they go in, and be mindful that it is a place of Christian worship for many people.

Encourage children to sit in silence for a little while after entering and then create a mind map of their initial responses to the place.

Questions you might ask them:

Activity 1

TALKING ABOUT THE CHAPEL

·  What can they hear?

·  What can they smell?

·  How does it make them feel?

·  Are they aware of spiritual atmosphere?

·  Can they imagine the church/chapel full of people singing?

·  What other sounds may they hear if the church was full of people?

·  What do we use them for? Weddings etc.

Activity 2

Let’s look around the church/chapel

Get the children to make sketches of anything that interests them, allow the children to draw large images ; LOOK AT PATTERNS, SHAPES, CARVINGS, EMBROIDERY, MOULDNGS ETC.

In pairs the children can help each other rubbings (frottage) of interesting textures. This can be supplemented with annotated notes and photographs.

Activity 3

Let’s look at lines around us

See ArtWales Looking at lines straight lines

Activity 4

Simple shapes

Let’s look all around us to find different shapes collect from around school /classroom.

What shapes can you see in the church/chapel? LETS DRAW THEM

And at home, what shapes can you find.

See ArtWales Looking at shapes

Activity 5

One of the most fascinating things about welsh chapels/churches is the facade

Ask pupils to draw the facade of the chapel, the front elevevation.

Make a drawing of the facade, get the children to really look and observe. Remind them of the shapes that they can see. Use felt pens to create their drawings with.

Activity 6

Lets look at the work of Cefyn Burgess

Record children language and thoughts about his work.

Other artists to use and compare and contrast

John Piper, painted lots of churches across the UK, specific welsh ones are St. Davids Dyfed 1982, Buckley Abbey, Flintshire 1980’s

Old Church of Mynachlogddu St. Dogmael. 1987

Laurence Stephen Lowry, Old Chapel

John Constable, Salisbury Cathedral.

Vincent Van Gogh, Church at Auvers, c1896

Alfred Sisley- Church at Moret 1893.

Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, he painted many images of the Cathedral at different times of the day

Gustav Klimt, Church in Cassone.

Tom Noble, Guadalupe.

You could also look at Zig zag lines as seen on Looking at Lines on ArtWales

Activity 7

Lets Collage

Using their drawing, collect and gather textures to replicate their own drawings, don’t collage their drawings.

Photocopy original drawing and left them use as a template for their collage

Resources needed:

Textured wallpapers, wallpaper, old and new wrapping paper, newspapers, sticky back paper, kitchen paper, sugar paper, brown paper, tissue paper,

corrugated cardboard, old Christmas cards, paint charts

Doyles, corduroy fabric, lace curtains, wood sticks

Old catalogues

Braiding, ribbons, string etc

This is not an exhaustive list

I know these words:

Draw, shapes, patterns, picture, coloured papers, rips, bits, sew sewing machine, collage – a picture made from scraps of paper and other materials glued onto paper or card.

Can you add any others to this list?

e.g Zig zag, straight, etc

Construction, block play.

·  Children could use construction blocks to create and build their own churches/chapels

·  Use large cardboard boxes to create the church or Large, soft play PE shapes to create the facade of church/chapel

Mathematical development

·  Using the church/chapel to observe patterns

PSE, Well being and cultural diversity

·  Investigating different food from a variety of different religions and cultures

·  Healthy life styles

Welsh language development

·  develop welsh vocabulary relating to churches and chapels, religious festivals and celebrations

·  experiencing traditions and celebrations

Physical development

·  drawings become more sophisticated

Creative development

·  using different musical instruments, to create music and sounds

·  Listen to different forms of religious music e.g Taize music, hymns by Ann Griffiths, Jewish and other religious chants. What emotions or ideas do they create?

·  Take part in their own religious ceremony

·  acting out roles and religious stories and celebrations