This superb artwork was created by a group of 8 and 9 year olds at a primary school in Leeds. The artwork is the children's counter piece to their creative writing based on the book The Island by Armin Greder. This workshop ran over six weeks and taught children the skills required to be a creative and imaginative author and illustrator. All children who took part in the workshop increased their writing attainment by at least 1 sub-level. If you would like your school to take part in similar work, please click here  and ask for information on creative workshops.

In this workshop, I am using art as a means of developing a sense of character perspective. Our artwork looks at 'the people' and how they might react to the intruder. The art and writing are different accounts of the same event. W hen used in the right way, art can enhance great writing even further. Creating art that speaks to writing Week 5 "If an illustration only repeats what the text is already saying then either the text or the illustration is superfluous... The pictures carry the story on their own."  Armin Greder, The Great Bear (1999) It is always warming to hear an enthusiastic teacher describe a great book as a 'goldmine'. I find it comforting to imagine them burrowing through the themes, vocabulary and ideas to take their classes to the heart of a book. Teaching that aims to dig below the surface can immerse children in new worlds and, almost inevitably, produces great writing.  Another rich vein of creative possibility for literacy...

"Raised pupil's writing by at least 1 sub-level - developed their ability to apply knowledge. Hopefully we will see ARTiculate in our school again!" A Howdle, Literacy Coordinator You're entering the final stretch now, everybody! Well done! But before you hang your whistle up for the summer, there is a way to get a head start on next year by guaranteeing your children's writing will get off to a creative flyer. ARTiculate is launching a new creative literacy workshop that includes discussion and debate, drama, writing and art: a dead cert to get your new class buzzing! Our new workshop 'Human Zoo' is based on the book Zoo by Anthony Browne. Turning the world on its head in true Anthony Browne style, we ask how would the animals see the strange behaviour of the human visitors? Indeed, who really belong in the cage? Not only does this workshop meet the National Curriculum objectives for literacy, it fulfills the art ones too. Pretty nifty, eh? By ...

Like our new blog background? It was designed by an eight year old at one of my recent literacy and art workshops! Thanks! To find out more about our workshops, click here .

Week 1: Authors communicate through words - artists communicate through colours. I feel very fortunate this week after launching a six week partnership with a Leeds primary school. Working with twelve of Year 4's finest, we will be exploring the creative processes of authors and artists using as a stimulus, The Island by Armin Greder. The book's beautiful but haunting pictures provide the perfect context for discussing how illustrators use colour to develop and change the mood of a text. Children discussed the emotions associated with primary and secondary colours and were surprised to discover they have both negative and positive connotations. Using Rothko's colour panels as a guide, the first group developed 'mood boards' using warm and cool colours. I was impressed with how they could discuss the significance of the colours they had chosen. Year 4's Rothko-esque colour mood boards The second group went further and used colours to indicate the c...

An art collection collage - created by a Year 4 child for Gorilla. This workshop was an excellent way of getting children to analyse pieces of art, looking for symbols, colours and themes and explaining how paintings and their artists are trying to communicate with them.  It was like a flash back from Every Which Way But Loose this week as I  was back on the road in Leeds with my trusty Gorilla companion. We didn't even have time to stop for a burger at a road-side diner or for a bare-knuckle dust-up as there was plenty of work to do with some incredibly articulate Year 4 children.  This week, the focus of our work was the emotional tire swing of Gorilla, alone and trapped by modern life in his specially modified zoo cage until rescued by his unlikely companion, Clint Eastwood...erm I mean a little cat called Beauty. Same same. Anthony Browne's references to art as a means of of communicating with the reader is at the heart of why his books are such fert...

This workshop was an excellent introduction to empathy in children's literature and a great way for children to explore the skills and processes used by real author-illustrators.   What a great way to end the week! Spending some creative time with some Year 4 children at their school in Leeds today! Today, we got our teeth into the curious tale of Little Beauty  by Anthony Browne. Not all is as it seems at this 'special' zoo - home to one lonely but talented primate. With a comfortable arm chair, flat screen TV and with tea and burgers on-demand, this gorilla might seem to have it all. But the one thing he is missing is a true friend. Enchanting! A brilliant charcoal drawing of gorilla with a very effective painted background! Comparing the lifestyle, diet and habitat of this special gorilla with the REAL mountain gorillas of Central Africa, the children produced some excellent writing. They even turned their hand to some mixed media artwork to give our gorilla...

You’ve heard the old expression: There’s no such thing as a free creative literacy and art workshop. Right? Poppycock. Here at ARTiculate, we are passionate about art. And writing. So we put them together and SHAZAAM… we deliver the finest creative workshops in the land. Using text, drama and discussion to inspire children to write, people in Leeds are raving about the work we do. “Very inspirational and creative – lots of new ideas to improve writing and unlock children’s imaginations.” Nadia, Teacher Y4 To be in with the chance to win a FREE taster workshop for your school, all you have to do is click here and email us your school’s details. Winners will be announced on Monday 1 st June! Still here? Get typing! *Leeds (W Yorks) primary schools only, sorry folks.

ARTiculate is launching an exciting new range of workshops linking artistic creativity with scientific experimentation. The first workshop explores how the principles of chromatography work and how they can be used to create stunning artwork! What is included? -5 focus sessions with a group of 6-8 children. -2 sessions with the whole class. -Delivered by an experienced, qualified primary school teacher. - All materials provided by ARTiculate. For more information, click this link or contact me here .  

Check out ARTiculate Education on Pinterest! There are some great ideas for creative art activities with Early Years! uk.pinterest.com/articulateeduca/

We are delighted to announce the launch of a new workshop aimed at inspiring GIFTED and TALENTED children to independent and challenging collaborative work. The 6 part workshop called 'Through the Magic Mirror'  is built around the fantastic book of the same name by Anthony Browne. With it's deceptively simple story and the surreal illustrations, this is the ideal starting point to get talented children thinking. Created specifically for Gifted and Talented groups, this masterclass is designed to encourage: Imaginative discussion.  Collaboration and independent project work. Creative writing and the skills needed for high quality art. Freedom to think differently. In this workshop, children will: Write, edit and present a piece of structured writing. Create pieces of high quality art work. Explore creative processes of authors, artists and illustrators. Develop confidence, interpersonal skills and enjoy themselves. For more information or to boo...