Blog

Updated 14th July 2020 Click here to download a copy of Artis | School Guidelines for Sept 2020 Covid-19   Artis Foundation will be operating according to government guidance to deliver creative provision to schools from September 2020 and operate within schools’ protective measures. This document intends to offer Artis […]

For children, play time and the arts are easy companions. After all, their time spent in creative play naturally evokes the competencies of the dramatic arts; the dramatic arts are themselves, in turn, quite playful and spirited, creating an apt fit with the enthusiasm and curiosity of childhood.

This blog aims to show how storytelling and science can go hand in hand, be that in the classroom or at home, and that creativity is the catalyst not just for Shakespearians – but for scientists too.

We’ve had a fantastic response to our Black Lives Matter call out from the Artis Foundation community and are delighted to hear from so many people about our pledges for the future.

Now, as teachers prepare for the wider reopening of schools, we believe that the arts is essential as we come back together, to underpin a recovery curriculum and support children’s wellbeing and reintegration into school.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been taking the time to listen and think about our part to play in this movement as an organisation.

I love stories. It’s fantastic to read them and to listen to them being told by others too. There are loads of great stories out there but I wonder, have you ever thought of being someone who makes your own stories?

Today marks fifty days of lockdown in the UK or seven weeks of school closures, a week longer than the usual school summer holidays. In that time, as a creative learning charity, we’ve had to change our modus operandi quite drastically.

The current crisis is taking its toll on everyone. We are all having to learn new ways of coping with the ongoing uncertainty. There are some rules in place but most of us are discovering for ourselves how best to stay safe, cope with isolation, and lay plans for the kind of future we might want when this is all over.

I’ve been talking to children in my local community (at a distance of course!) and using their responses to the question posed in the poem above to write new poems – poems that I hope can open up the possibility for continued conversation even after the current crisis is over. If you are a parent at home or a teacher at school with children right now, why not have a similar conversation with them and see what poetry might come of it?

The first sentence of the UK’s maths curriculum introduces an exciting, dynamic subject – ‘Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems’ – yet this inventive subject is largely taught in the classroom with pencil and paper. Artis strongly champions maths being brought to life in a fun and stimulating way through dance, drama and music and shares some inspiration and ideas.