Hello! I’m Danielle and in January this year I started a new job in An Lanntair as an Arts Worker. I travel to various community centres across Lewis and Harris to deliver arts sessions for children and families. It’s the best!
When I started this job, I began thinking about what types of activities the kids might enjoy. The hunt for fun art activities to do prompted a lot of self-reflection and looking back at creative projects that really inspired me as a child. I re-watched episodes of my favourite childhood show Art Attack and re-watched particular crafts that wowed me and had me glued to the screen when I was young (sometimes literally).
I remembered some of my favourite activities I did in art class in school and what materials used to really excite me; I think my favourite primary art class was making pictures from sand stuck down with PVA glue – nice and messy! All this reminiscing made me realise just how much these activities nurtured my creativity growing up, and how this fed into my desire to pursue it all the way through to university level. Now I’m fortunate enough to have a job where I can create experiences that get children excited, just like I was.
My favourite thing about art is that there is no right and wrong. It’s a way for people to express themselves however they like and that is my favourite thing, to see happen in my sessions.
Mini Makes is a class for primary aged children and an accompanying adult. At the beginning of the session I’ll set out a craft that we’re going to make. So far we’ve made clay pots, pop-up puppets, designed our own board games, and lots more! It’s so much fun to see how the kids run with their own imaginations and to watch how everyone’s work comes out looking completely different.
Creative Play is a session for preschool aged children and an accompanying adult to play together and try out various making activities at different scales, and with various materials. It’s a great place for kids to get messy with paint, try lots of gluing and sticking and perhaps trying out using scissors for the first time. And sometimes puppets come out to play!
My favourite thing about Creative Play is seeing kids play with what they’ve made, and it’s even better to hear the following week that the kids have continued to play with their crafts at home. Some top hits have been butterflies, wands and little monsters.
Currently I’m running Creative Play sessions in Back and Ness, and I’m running Mini Makes sessions in Ness, Tarbert and Stornoway. My hope is that my Creative Play and Mini Makes sessions give children the opportunity and space to play, to try out different materials, and most importantly have lots of fun. Come along!
Visit our website to see our full list of Children & Family Events here: www.lanntair.com/events/category/children-families/