The start of a magic forest...

Cardboard and paint - and lots of muscle power to squeeze out the paint...

the choices available were green, blue, yellow and white (the latter being an absolute must for the children) - all children in the group of five, that chose to be in the atelier this morning, chose to have all the colours avalable

it was interesting to see how body strength had a part in how much of each colour was squeezed out.

Then the MAGIC started.......it was interesting to see how some children this process was about movement, while for others it was watching how the colours mixed and made patterns

it was a also a challnge for two of teh children to fill the entire cardboard - something they had not done before - but were fully capable of hiding all the cardboard under the paint, and with pride... when encouraged to do so...

and for those who were quick to fill their cardboard there was time to make patterns with their paintbrush

then they had access to two shades of green tissue paper and some off-white, the idea was to place it on the paint and try and make wrinkles and an interesting structure - but for most of them the process of walking across the room to select a pice of tissue paper and place it on the paint to go and select again was much more important - so there was a refill of tissue paper and glue added.

step one finished.

another finished magic forest in progress

The next step will be to let someone else continue with this artwork - and that they will eventually be put together to make just one piece. The idea is to celebrate the individual and the group, that we all contribute with our ideas and talents. To find the we in me - and to find the me in we.

Maybe some fairies will occupy this forest - as yet I am not sure how the fairy project is going to move forward... so this could turn into something very different... especially as autumn comes and the colour of the forest will change and will be no longer green - how will the children then react?
Time will only tell....