ALPACAS are a vital part of culture in PERU. When the Incas ruled the area 600 years ago, alpacas fleece was a major form of currency, even more important than gold or silver. Instead of fur, alpacas have fleece, which can be spun into wool and used to create various textiles. Alpacas have the largest variation of colours of any other animal with fur. Their natural fleece can be found in 22 different colours, ranging from white to black and many shades of brown and grey in-between. The fleece can also be dyed to create the vibrant colours that are found in Peruvian textiles. Alpacas adorned with brightly coloured tassels and pom poms are often involved in celebrations. In Peru, they even celebrate National Alpaca Day!

Our children created their own smiling alpacas, who all seem to have their own, unique personality!

The GALAPAGOS ISLANDS are a series of islands in SOUTH AMERICA near the equator that are part of the Republic of Ecuador. The islands are very volcanic, with continuous volcanic action for over 20 million years, which changes the landscape of the islands constantly; older islands sink while newer islands are formed. The islands have some of the most diverse and unique birds on the planet; including BLUE FOOTED BOOBIES and GALAPAGOS PENGUINS. This is the only place on earth that these birds are found.

MAGELLANIC PENGUINS are found only in southern SOUTH AMERICA. They are named after explorer Ferdinand Magellan who first saw the birds in 1520 on one of his expeditions. Magellanic penguins have two black bands between their head and stomach. Their wings are stiff so that they can use them to swim underwater.   Our Year 6 children created these sensational watercolour penguins over two lessons, after watching a video about these fascinating birds, they using photographs to do observational drawings before mixing colours to paint them.  As you can see, the results are magnificent!

Join us for the final leg of our two year journey around the world.  Our final stop is South America, where we will celebrate art from Mexico, Peru, Columbia and the Galapogos Islands.

It was wonderful to see all the Year groups getting ‘creative’ as they commemorated the Coronation of King Charles III.

I was fortunate to work with Year 4 children, where we created memorabilia to mark this historic occasion.  The children learnt about the significance of the Coronation while designing and creating these ceramic tiles and commemorative plates.  I think you will agree…..THEY ARE FIT FOR A KING!!

Year 4 celebrated Easter by creating these stunning creations using oil and chalk pastels and torn, black paper.  Their work is mesmorising and thought provoking.  Great work!

The TERRACOTTA ARMY was accidentally discovered in CHINA in 1974 by two farmers digging a well. An underground tomb was revealed that contained sculptures of over 8000 soldiers, chariots, horses and other non-military figures. The figures are life-sized and vary in uniform, hairstyle and height according to their rank.  We decided to have some fun with ‘our terracotta Army and create portraits, some self portaits and others simply protraits of girls, boys, men and women. They all look amazing and we really enjoyed creating them.

Year 6 were asked to create a piece of art to symbolise Good Friday.  They were allowed to select their own media for the lesson.  Some chose watercolours, others oil pastel and some chose to simple sketch.  Each one was created  carefully and thoughtfully.

ABOUT ASIAN MONKEYS

MONKEYS like macaques and snub nosed monkeys that are found in ASIA and Africa are called Old World monkeys, which are different from the monkeys found in other areas of the world. The main defining feature of Old World monkeys are their flat noses. Most Asian monkeys have tails, but they are not prehensile, like other monkeys, meaning that they aren’t able to hold objects or climb with them.

All our monkeys were created using collage, which was challenging becuase every small detail had to be cut out of paper or card – even the white reflection on the eyes.  However Year 6 rose to the challenge and the hard work paid off, as you can see.

KOI are brightly coloured, ornamental fish that are from of the carp family, which is a large group of fish originally found in Central Europe and ASIA. The colourful variety originated in JAPAN. Koi are typically kept for decorative purposes in outdoor ponds and water gardens. There are many different varieties of koi, some of which are white, black, red, orange and yellow. While a goldfish and a koi fish can look similar, koi have whisker-like feelers called BARBELS that are actually sensory organs near their mouths.