Summer Term Activities at Creative Sparks

As we are just around the corner from yet another long summer holiday for the children, it is time to look back on just how our free Creative Sparks after school club has fit into their lives over the past term.

The summer programme for Creative Sparks saw sessions delivered weekly across two asylum-seeker accommodation sites in the city and three of Nottingham’s libraries: St Ann’s Library, Meadows Library and Strelley Road Library. We were helped out by our team, interns, and work experience students from all over Nottingham, and could not have carried out any of the sessions without the support of the library staff who promoted our events and let us use their space. 

Parent: “He’s more curious about arts and interacts more with others.”

Each session, the children showed up excited to learn what was on the agenda, as the theme and materials they would be working with changed weekly. This allowed them to explore new techniques and sensations if it was the first time they worked with a certain material, and delve deeply into their curiosity without any imposed limits. The children took charge of what they wanted to make, experimenting with different resources and methods. Notable sessions that impacted the children included our mushroom-making session with clay, a jellyfish activity that saw them repurpose plastic bottles, and the reptiles they made out of homemade colourful playdough. 

The aim of each session we delivered was to provide a new experience for the children, engaging with their curiosity through topics they may not have encountered in detail before. Everyone was very interested in learning fun facts about the animals and plants they were attempting to make. Altogether, the children also developed their collaborative skills, working together when materials were close to running out and sharing all of the resources so everyone got to take something home. 

Parent: “She's more creative than ever. She's doing better at following directions.”

This term also saw us move the timings of some sessions to fit better with the library opening hours in certain locations; this has enabled us to introduce the activities to new faces, opening up the path to creativity for more children.

Recurring feedback from the after school club revolves around the improvements that parents have seen in their children’s social skills, as well as a spark in their curiosity when it comes to exploring the world through art. Some parents also witnessed their children becoming more courageous when faced with making decisions, in addition to learning how to ask for materials they need, actively taking part in the activity. This demonstrates the importance of nurturing the children’s self-confidence, as they learn to make their own way into the world. 

Parent: “This is what I needed for my kids to play with other kids.”

As for the children, what impacted them the most was the opportunity to immerse themselves in an activity they had never before interacted with; this was especially true for the mushrooms they sculpted out of clay. Their favourite activities were the messy ones, such as the slime-making activity. The overall sentiment of the feedback we received from the children highlighted how much fun they have during Creative Sparks, and how they are able to learn and discover new concepts through artistic projects.

Child: “I like the painting and crafting.”

From September, all our sites will see us returning for the Autumn term, ready to re-ignite everyone’s curious spirits as they embark on new challenges within the school year. We hope to see you there!