By Paula Briggs

This resource shares a fun way to engage children with ideas about architecture, shape and form, and transformation of materials. You can see this activity as it took place in a school as part of artweek here. 

You can also find this activity in Make, Build, Create, Sculpture Projects for Children. 

The full resource below takes you through the process of making a mini treehouse.

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AccessArt is a UK Charity and we believe everyone has the right to be creative. AccessArt provides inspiration to help us all reach our creative potential.

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Pathway: Stick Transformation project

This is featured in the ‘Stick Transformation Project’ pathway

Talking Points: treehouses

See This Resource Used In Schools…

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Pathway: Making Birds

Featured in the ‘Making Birds’ pathway

Talking Points: Inspired by Birds

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Pathway: Playful Making

Featured in the ‘Playful Making’ pathway

Pathway: Making Birds

This is featured in the ‘Making Birds’ pathway

Talking Points: Introduction to Sculpture

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Pathway: Music and art

This is featured in the ‘Music and Art’ pathway

Pathway: Playful Making

This resource is features in the ‘Playful Making’ pathway

Manipulating Paper

Cardboard Sculptures

The Chair and Me

See This Resource Used in a Pathway…

Transforming Materials into Sculpture

This pathway shares how teachers might take inspiration from El Anatsui and encourage pupils to think how they might disassemble objects around them to transform them into sculptural pieces. Read More. 

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Transforming Cardboard with Andrea Butler

Artist Andrea Butler shows how to explore simple design and construction using cardboard and jewellery. Read More

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s really interesting to hear how the interest Liz has in the quality of light comes from a personal place and is something she has responded to since childhood. Seeing how her work has developed over the years is therefore a really positive re enforcement that individual creative journeys, where nurtured, are so central to a rich arts education. We also love hearing Liz is always on the ‘quest for knowledge’ – meaning she is open to her ideas constantly evolving and the process of gathering new information and inspiration never stops!” – Rachel, AccessArt

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Pathway: Brave Colour

This is featured in the ‘Brave colour’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Find out how pupils can respond to artists work in sketchbooks

Show me what you see

Enable close looking and drawing with this exercise

Lightbulb Art

Mini World Light Boxes

Visual Arts Planning: LIght and Dark

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s great to see music being explored in this way, and combining it with making creates a really interesting immersive project. This activity would work well as part of an extended project looking at musical instruments around the world and some of the natural materials they are made from.” – Rachel, AccessArt

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Pathway: Music and art

This is featured in the ‘Music and Art’ pathway

talking points: wassily Kandinsky

drawing source material: orchestras

A Cheerful Orchestra

Talking Points: Linda BEll

Talking Points: Nnena Kalu

What We Like About This Resource….

“You can get a real sense of the environment in this post and how this could provide so much inspiration for creative projects. We are aware there the challenges to exploring the outdoors when many schools are in towns and cities. A way around this could be to have a regular collection of natural objects within the classroom and using them as a stimulus to respond creatively in sketchbooks or in extended projects” – Andrea, AccessArt

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Woodland Exploration

A Passion for Woodworking

Visual Arts PLanning: Tees, Forest and Landscapes

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s really interesting to hear how Su’s career path evolved organically, and how experimenting with different disciplines such as ceramics and sculpture whilst studying Textiles at the RCA began her journey towards paper craft and books. We really like how the small book sculptures inspired the larger scale set designs for The Snow Queen. They transfer so effectively to the stage and you can imagine how engaging it would be for a young audience to recognise letters and words on lampposts and other scenic elements”. – Rachel, AccessArt

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Creating a Book World

Sketch Set Design Models

Set Design for Primary Aged Children

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Pathway: Exploring Form Through Drawing

This is featured in the ‘Exploring Form Through Drawing’ pathway

Watercolour Washes Inspired by the Tapestries of Henry Moore

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s lovely to see a resource that centres on a particular material and the scope it offers. I particularly like how the dogwood is used here to make wooden beads. This idea could be developed further by looking at how wood has been used to make jewelry throughout history and within many different cultures.” – Rachel, AccessArt.

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A Passion for Woodworking

Woodland Exploration

Visual Arts Planning: Trees, Forests and Landscape