I like elephants because they can squirt water,’ says Mimi, while Huxley informs his classmates that ‘I’ve touched an elephant in Australia. I’ve touched half of its leg. It felt a bit smooth on the front.’
Reception children at Reggio Emilia-inspired Manor Wood Primary School in Leeds benefit from an atelier and work in small groups of around 15 to explore a particular project throughout the school year. Last year, one group were fascinated by the elephant models in the setting’s discovery room and set about to find out more. The project took many twists through sculpting, activism and animation as the children told their elephant stories.
what they did
Children shared their own knowledge of elephants with their peers, with Zayd telling how he saw an elephant in Africa and Jade bringing in photos of when she’d also met elephants on her travels, including at a rescue centre in Sri Lanka.- ‘We read elephant facts and the children were fascinated that an elephant’s trunk is strong enough to pick up a tree, and yet also sensitive enough to pick up a twig,’ says atelierista Victoria Lungu.
- Considering Jade’s visit to the elephant rescue centre, children discussed why they needed rescuing. Suggestions included that they may be lost or in danger. Victoria shared Elmer on Stilts by David McKee (see Book corner) to introduce them to the concept of hunters.
- ‘We want the children to feel empowered. That their voices are powerful and that they can instigate change,’ says Victoria. She read Greta and the Giants by Zoe Tucker to the children and related the words to the concerns they had about elephants – the hunters becoming the giants and the children becoming the protestors. ‘The book highlighted to the children that they can make a stand to protect what they love,’ says Victoria. ‘They decided to draw protest banners and posters.’
- Children wanted to represent elephants creatively. Victor found ‘perfect elephant grey’ on a paint chart and the children were offered black and white paint to mix their elephant colours and paint their interpretations. They used clay to make sculptures. ‘As the clay dried, it broke up,’ says Victoria. ‘The children took this in their stride, showing great resilience. I offered to show them a technique to make their sculptures stronger.’ They added sticks into the clay as armature and used paint and decorations to embellish their models.
- Stories began to emerge as they worked on their elephant models. Victoria scribed the children’s stories and introduced the idea of animation for bringing them to life. This was met with enthusiasm and they made films of their own stories before deciding to make a collaborative piece with children working on the set design and a big elephant together. Cardboard, newspaper and bubblewrap was used to slowly make the body, with children visiting the atelier outside of meetings to continue working on it. It was then covered with papier-mâché, which took lots of commitment, before being painted the ‘perfect elephant grey’. Victoria showed the children a photo she had taken of an elephant puppet at a protest march. They were interested to see text written on it, which linked with their conversations around activism and the power of spreading messages, and decided to cover their elephant in messages, including ‘Stop sitting on elephants’, ‘Stop the hunters’ and ‘Save the elephants’.
working with parents
‘A particularly joyful aspect of this project has been the links made with the children’s homes,’ says Victoria. A surprising number of children had elephant encounters to share, with families sending in photos and artefacts for the children to examine. ‘It’s good to give children the space to have their stories heard and for their experiences to be valued,’ she adds. Children also brought in picturebooks with elephants.
Links were strengthened when they adopted a WWF elephant and received a cuddly toy. Children wanted to take it home so it was decided to do that for a night each, accompanied by a book to document the toy elephant’s adventures. ‘I think parents felt they were part of the project too and experienced the child’s journey with them, rather than just seeing a display at the end,’ reflects Victoria. ‘The biggest lesson I learned was to really make families feel a part of it too.’
As a grand finale, parents and children were invited to Leeds Art Gallery to see their finished sculptures and animations. ‘Children walked in with their families and were so proud,’ says Victoria. ‘It was magical to celebrate their work.’
what they gained
‘Through the elephant project, children developed an awareness of wildlife and the threats they are under – including climate change and how water resources are being depleted. They were horrified by the numbers of elephants killed by hunters, but I didn’t want them to feel just horror, I wanted them to feel that they can make a difference and tell people about it,’ says Victoria.
‘They learned technical skills, such as armature for sculpting and stop-motion animation, but, above all, children gained a sense of self and the power to lead their own learning. They now know that their ideas are valuable and important enough to be followed and that we will facilitate what they need for their experiences and feelings to be heard.’
- Manor Wood Primary School won the Early Years in a School award at last year’s Nursery World Awards. To apply for this year’s Awards, go to https://nurseryworldawards.com
book corner
The Magnificent Book of Animals by Val Walerczuk and Tom Jackson
Showcases fascinating mammals from around the world, including African elephants, giant pandas, polar bears and ring-tailed lemurs.
Elmer on Stilts by David McKee
The hunters are coming and all the elephants are worried. Elmer, the patchwork elephant, comes up with a plan to outwit the hunters…
Greta and the Giants by Zoe Tucker and Zoe Persico
Greta is a little girl who lives in a beautiful forest threatened by Giants. Greta knows she has to help the animals who live in the forest, but how?
Noa and the Little Elephant: A tale of friendship and survival by Michael Foreman
A heart-warming story about elephant conservation produced in association with the African wildlife charity Tusk.
Dear Earth by Isabel Otter and Clara Anganuzzi
When Tessa writes a love letter to Earth, it’s the beginning of a glorious adventure.
Elephants by Steve Bloom
A fact-filled visual treat by an acclaimed wildlife photographer.
You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus by Patricia Cleveland-Peck and David Tazzyman
Join a whole range of crazy creatures as they attempt to travel in unsuitable vehicles.