Art Club 29 September 2009 - Giant Egg

Today we talked about Tim Grosvenor's Giant Egg project see Here Artists of all disciplines come together to raise awareness about Madagascar The Giant Egg Event Tim uses the Twitter name @elephant bird because this is a symbol of the changes happening in Madagascar - the Elephant bird is now extinct. The Elephant Bird is shown below:



I showed the children pictures of Madagascar and explained about the problems facing the animals and people there, we discussed how we would feel if our environment was being chopped down and how it would be good to contribute to the Giant Egg project to help people to be aware of the issues in Madagascar. We used the resource sheet I had created (sheet below)


We looked at and talked about some images from artists which relate to 'flights of fancy' their current topic including Kandinsky's Fixed Flight and Sky Study with Birds by Jean-Michel Cels. Then I read to them the poem below by Micalanne, I chose this because I thought the children would relate to it well.

Where do they lay to dream? 

By Micalanne poet and artist

When the forests have burned, 

and the creatures are extinct,

what will be left to inspire?

Who will care for the remaining

fragile fragments of dreams

when they must be set aside

and attentions are turned to survival?

Laying on the sweet green grass,

filled with yesterday and today,

I am unhindered to dream of tomorrow.

My dreams are never set aside.

I exist in them

with every rising of the sun. 

I would give that to the

Malagasy.

After looking at a sheet of information which I had produced, then at the posterous website and at the Giant Egg Event site, the drawings were made by the children who are aged 5 and 6. I have added one drawing here and more can be seen in this Flickr group