Improving Creativity in the Education Sector
Pom-Poms
This activity tends to remind people of their childhood as it's renowned for being an old time craft. It's origins date back to Scandinavia from the age of the Vikings (800- 1066). Apparently a Viking god named Freyr, is seen wearing a hat or helmet with a pom-pom in a statue that was discovered in 1904. However, in 1965, Fred Gastoff invented the first pom pom using vinyl/plastic, this made it durable and weather resistant.
Often used as bobbles on hats, these decorative items can now be used on cushions, clothing, turned into garlands, keyrings and mini-monsters for younger ones. They are cheap and cheerful to create and develop patience along with hand to eye, brain recognition. Most Primary schools show young pupils the main method but in my experience, not many have completed examples to show for inspiration and motivation.
Previous Experience:
Teaching this in a Secondary school, I was surprised that even the most active children became calm and dedicated to complete a soft pom-pom which they turned into a creature, keyring or used a stress ball. Plastic, circular templates are available but if delivering this to a large group, this method could become expensive. For ease and cost, I used cardboard templates as it's sustainable and cheap (often free). I spent £10 via the school budget on wool and then another £10 from my own money as it didn't seem enough. All the wool was used and the students deeply enjoyed the activity however as a cheaper alternative, requests to parents/carers, governors, staff and students could be posted to ask for left over or unwanted wool. Interesting patterns can be created from using different colours together so this could add intrigue.
For this project I tried to make as many as I could in one week. This was therapeutic as I could sit in front the television and complete the task without too much thought process, however it was time consuming. By the end of this week I had twenty five pom-poms made but I needed forty to make a soft rug which was my main aim. This may be completed in time for the end exhibition but next week I must move on to another craft creation to stay on track.
This week's arts & crafts sessions at two care homes consisted of penguin projects. The weather was still a bit chilly so this was the main focus. It was tricky to avoid the typical Christmas cold weather scenes but I had pre-printed images to inspire residents who possibly lacked vision or imagination. Each resident painted at least one penguin followed by some smaller shapes to add further interest to the background.
On top of everything else this week, I managed to visit the Norfolk Makers Festival in Norwich. This is a local event held at the Forum which showcases talent by individuals and groups. It was truly spectacular and I came away feeling enthused about new crafts to try including, stained glass making and rag-rugging.
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