NewsNews/EditorialSTARTNewsInspir<strong>in</strong>g Learn<strong>in</strong>g<strong>Education</strong> Even<strong>in</strong>gTurner Contemporary Project Space,MargateMonday 27 April, 5–7pmTeachers, youth workers, communitygroup leaders, lecturers, tutors <strong>and</strong> artists<strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> education are <strong>in</strong>vited toexplore the exhibition Sound of Music withtheir peers, try out resources <strong>and</strong> developideas <strong>for</strong> related projects. It will be led byAudience Development Officer Karen Eslea<strong>and</strong> Helen Caddick, a composer who haswritten <strong>for</strong> theatre, film <strong>and</strong> a number ofb<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Shack <strong>and</strong> My Life Story.Helen currently teaches music atGoldsmiths College, University of London,<strong>and</strong> works with a number of primaryschools <strong>in</strong> Kent. Book<strong>in</strong>g is essential.Please call 01843 280261 or email<strong>in</strong>fo@turnercontemporary.org.Mosaic competition<strong>The</strong> first MEGA MOSAIC-MAKERScompetition, search<strong>in</strong>g <strong>for</strong> the mostexcit<strong>in</strong>g primary school mosaic work <strong>in</strong> theUK, was held <strong>in</strong> 2008. Entries <strong>for</strong> this year’scompetition will be welcomed <strong>in</strong> theautumn <strong>and</strong> entry <strong>for</strong>ms will be available onthe BAMM (British Association of ModernMosaic) website from October 2009. Anyprimary school <strong>in</strong> the UK can enter; eachmosaic can only be entered once. <strong>The</strong>competition is sponsored by Topps Tiles.To read more about the competition or todownload an entry <strong>for</strong>m, visitwww.bamm.org.uk.Free Animals Asia<strong>Education</strong> Resource packDo your pupils love animals? Would youappreciate a lesson plan on global animalwelfare <strong>issue</strong>s already sorted? Would yourschool like to set up l<strong>in</strong>ks with Ch<strong>in</strong>eseschools? If the answer to any of thesequestions is Yes, then the br<strong>and</strong> newAnimals Asia <strong>Education</strong> Initiative is <strong>for</strong> you.And it’s FREE!Throughout Asia, many animals areexploited, abused <strong>and</strong> neglected. <strong>The</strong>Animals Asia Foundation, founded by JillRob<strong>in</strong>son MBE <strong>in</strong> 1998, is dedicated toend<strong>in</strong>g cruelty <strong>and</strong> restor<strong>in</strong>g respect <strong>for</strong> allanimals across the region. <strong>The</strong>organisation has just launched aneducation <strong>in</strong>itiative with UK schools tooffer a close, ongo<strong>in</strong>g relationshipdesigned to provide pupils with a unique<strong>in</strong>sight <strong>in</strong>to animal welfare <strong>issue</strong>s <strong>in</strong> Asia.<strong>The</strong> focus is on Animals Asia’s ma<strong>in</strong>project, the Moon Bear Rescue, whichaims to rescue suffer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> endangeredAsiatic black bears (nicknamed ‘moonbears’ because of the crescent of goldenfur across their chests) <strong>and</strong> place them <strong>in</strong>sanctuaries.<strong>The</strong> Animals Asia education pack is aimedat children between the ages of 8 <strong>and</strong> 13.In full colour, it conta<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation,quizzes, fact sheets, a PowerPo<strong>in</strong>tpresentation <strong>and</strong> details about l<strong>in</strong>ks thatcan be set up with Ch<strong>in</strong>ese schools. <strong>The</strong>reare art, writ<strong>in</strong>g or music competitions, <strong>and</strong>speakers are available to visit schools <strong>and</strong>give illustrated, fun presentations to pupils.Schools can also undertake fundrais<strong>in</strong>gprojects to support this vital work orbefriend a bear!For further <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation or to obta<strong>in</strong> a freepack, please contact Nicky Vyvyan-Rob<strong>in</strong>son on 07778 313250 or atnvyvyanrob<strong>in</strong>son@animalsasia.org.<strong>The</strong> Muscular DystrophyCampaign YoungPavement <strong>Art</strong>ist’sCompetitionThis is the first major art-based <strong>in</strong>itiative toexplore the relationship between us<strong>in</strong>g thepavement as a canvas <strong>and</strong> chalk as themedium. This year, the environmental <strong>and</strong>conservation theme is EndangeredSpecies.Natural history <strong>and</strong> wildlife presenterSteve Backshall, who is among thecelebrities back<strong>in</strong>g the event, said:‘Pavement pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs that wash away withthe ra<strong>in</strong> are the perfect way to representthe endangered species of the world.<strong>The</strong> survival of some of the world’s mostcharismatic creatures is just as fragile asthese images.’Open to anyone up to <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the ageof 19, the competition will have w<strong>in</strong>ners <strong>in</strong>each of five age categories, with one overallw<strong>in</strong>ner tak<strong>in</strong>g the prestigious title of YoungPavement <strong>Art</strong>ist of the Year. <strong>The</strong> age groupsare 4–5; 5–6; 7–11; 11–14 <strong>and</strong> 14–19 years.<strong>The</strong> national w<strong>in</strong>ner will w<strong>in</strong> the chance todiscover <strong>and</strong> to see grey whale migrationalong the Canadian coast, courtesy ofEarthwatch. <strong>The</strong>ir chalk draw<strong>in</strong>g will beexclusively produced as a poster <strong>and</strong>distributed with <strong>National</strong> Geographic KidsMagaz<strong>in</strong>e.For full competition details, visit www.muscular-dystrophy.org/pavementart.Children’s <strong>Art</strong> Day9 July 2009Register now to take part <strong>in</strong>Children’s <strong>Art</strong> Day 2009Children’s <strong>Art</strong> Day is anational programmeencourag<strong>in</strong>g children,young people, families<strong>and</strong> teachers to engagewith visual art. It takesplace dur<strong>in</strong>g Sh<strong>in</strong>e week – a nationalfestival celebrat<strong>in</strong>g talent <strong>in</strong> all youngpeople – which on Thursday 9 July willfocus on the visual arts.All visual arts venues, schools <strong>and</strong> youth<strong>and</strong> community organisations are <strong>in</strong>vitedto take part. <strong>The</strong> first 150 venuesregister<strong>in</strong>g events will receive a grant of£50 as seed fund<strong>in</strong>g <strong>for</strong> an event, whichcan be claimed after the event, onsubmission of a brief report. Allparticipat<strong>in</strong>g venues will receive balloons<strong>and</strong> stickers with Children’s <strong>Art</strong> Daybr<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> will be offered support toattract media coverage <strong>for</strong> their events.For further <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation, please contactLaura Cherry at laura.cherry@engage.org, or on 020 7729 5858. To sign up tojo<strong>in</strong> Sh<strong>in</strong>e 2009 <strong>and</strong> start add<strong>in</strong>g yourwork to the virtual ‘wall of talent’, pleasevisit www.sh<strong>in</strong>eweek.co.uk. To register<strong>for</strong> Children’s <strong>Art</strong> Day, go towww.engage.org.From the EditorI recently met a student I had taught <strong>in</strong> aYear 5 class, now do<strong>in</strong>g her art GCSE.How excit<strong>in</strong>g it was to see where she wasgo<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> how she had developed, <strong>and</strong> tohear that she had won a coveted artscholarship <strong>for</strong> sixth <strong>for</strong>m! She asked howI knew that at age 10, she had a talent. Atthat time, she had little self-confidence<strong>and</strong> was very shy, but that was not what Iwas see<strong>in</strong>g be<strong>for</strong>e me now! With theschool year fast approach<strong>in</strong>g its climax,this may be a good time to stop <strong>and</strong>reflect on the impact you have had thisacademic year: you will no doubt have<strong>in</strong>spired many young artists <strong>in</strong> yourschool.In this <strong>issue</strong> of START, our <strong>in</strong>spirationcomes from <strong>textiles</strong>. A question that I amoften asked about <strong>textiles</strong> is – is it designtechnology or is it art? I would argue thatit is very cross-curricular <strong>in</strong> its nature, soyou could say both <strong>and</strong> more besides. Inthis <strong>issue</strong> we look at a wide range oftechniques that can be explored <strong>in</strong> theprimary classroom, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g decorativeIndian <strong>textiles</strong>, silk pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> abstractcollage.Also <strong>in</strong> this <strong>issue</strong>: I was very lucky to havethe opportunity to <strong>in</strong>terview the artist duoOlly & Suzi <strong>and</strong> to share some of their ideas<strong>for</strong> collaborative art <strong>in</strong> the classroom,while members of the Readers’ panel havebeen busy review<strong>in</strong>g a wide range ofbooks <strong>and</strong> materials.Free Janome Mystyle 22sew<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e worth£239……plus 200 universal needles worth£29.98 (100 x size 70, 100 x size 90),<strong>and</strong> 50 reels of guterman 1000m thread<strong>in</strong> assorted colours worth £97.45. Thissew<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e is perfect <strong>for</strong> use <strong>in</strong>secondary or primary schools <strong>for</strong><strong>textiles</strong>. It’s hard-wear<strong>in</strong>g, easy toservice, robust <strong>and</strong> fit <strong>for</strong> purpose <strong>in</strong>an educational environment.All you have to do is jo<strong>in</strong> or re-jo<strong>in</strong> theReaders’ panel <strong>and</strong> email the editorWe are very grateful to Heart <strong>Education</strong>alSupplies <strong>for</strong> provid<strong>in</strong>g excit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>spir<strong>in</strong>gtextile materials <strong>and</strong> some of the books <strong>for</strong>review. If you would like to be <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong>review<strong>in</strong>g books or materials <strong>for</strong> future<strong>issue</strong>s, please do get <strong>in</strong> touch by email.Look<strong>in</strong>g ahead: the START summer school2008 has been <strong>in</strong>spirational to many of ourreaders, <strong>and</strong> on page 29 you can read allabout out why you should th<strong>in</strong>k aboutsign<strong>in</strong>g up this year.Th<strong>in</strong>gs are go<strong>in</strong>g to change – well so theytell us. <strong>The</strong> Primary Review is report<strong>in</strong>gback as we speak; we will try to cover the<strong>issue</strong>s <strong>in</strong> art <strong>and</strong> design education <strong>in</strong>future editions of START. In the meantime,if you want to share your thoughts on thistopic, please do get <strong>in</strong> touch.<strong>The</strong> next <strong>issue</strong> has a ‘sculpture’ focus,while future themes <strong>in</strong>clude ‘design’,‘history’, ‘maths’ <strong>and</strong> ‘pr<strong>in</strong>tmak<strong>in</strong>g’.Please get <strong>in</strong> touch if you would like toshare a project, a resource or an idea.Michèle KittoEditormichelekitto@nsead.orgexpla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g why your school should w<strong>in</strong>this sew<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e package, by 25 May.K<strong>in</strong>dly donated by Heart <strong>Education</strong>alSupplies as they launch their new200-page catalogue.www.heart-educational.co.ukSTART THE MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT AND DESIGNSTART THE MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN