Sculpture

Sculpture – Papier-mâché planets and rockets

Nash, B. (2017) Spaceships [acrylic on canvas]. Artfinder. Available at: https://www.artfinder.com/product/spaceships/#/ (Accessed: 10/12/17).

Teacher’s notes:

This acrylic painting has been chosen as it can be presented to children to show a different style of artwork (abstract, cartoon and pop art style). Children can be prompted to discuss spaceships, rockets, astronauts and planets as depicted – which will hopefully evoke an imaginative response.

An activity inspired by this painting could be the creation of papier-mâché planets and spaceships/rockets. This activity will offer children a variety of choices to make their artwork individual. Children can decide what to create – A planet or a star (the sun), a spaceship, a rocket or any other ideas that they can think of which links to outer space. Additionally, children can choose which materials they will use to create their sculptures. They can be provided with balloons (inflated to chosen size), cardboard boxes/tubes, plastic bottles, tissue paper and paint. Children’s should then be invited to talk about their sculpture. Creations can then be displayed to make a class solar system.

 

Learning intentions:

• I can select tools and techniques needed to shape, assemble and join materials I am using.
• I can construct with a purpose in mind, using a variety of resources
• I can select appropriate resources and adapt work where necessary.

 

Cross-curricular links:

Physical development – ‘Handles tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control’ (40-60 months) (DfE, 2012, 24).

Mathematics – ‘Beginning to use mathematical names for ‘solid’ 3D shapes’ (40-60 months) ‘sphere’ ‘box’ (DfE, 2012:36).

Early Learning Goal: They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.

 

Key questions:

•  Look at the painting. What can you see? What objects/things? Who do you think might be in the rockets? What about the spaceships?
•  Is there anything you would like to find out about this painting? Such as, why are all the rockets and spaceships travelling in the same direction? (explain/point to make direction clear, ‘going the same way’) What ideas do you have for where they might be going/have come from?
• What types of materials do you think we could use to create our own spaceships/rockets and planets? How will you do this?

 

Vocabulary

• 3D
• Astronaut
• Box
• Sphere
• Positional language (such as, on top, underneath)
• Planet
• Materials
• Moon
• Sculpture 
• Spaceship
• Stars
• Tools
• Rocket

 

Extra information:

Trip ideas – Greenwich planetarium offers workshops and 30 minute planetarium shows of ‘Ted’s Space Adventure’ for EYFS and KS1 (http://www.rmg.co.uk/plan-your-visit/schools/royal-observatory).

Science Museum Space Gallery – offers a ‘destination space’ workshop, 35 minutes long, suitable for EYFS and KS1 (https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/learning/destination-space-school-info).