Creativity on the Park with Kidmore End CofE Primary School

On a sunny day in June, a group of enthusiastic school children from Kidmore End CofE Primary School took part in a fun and interactive ‘Creativity on the Park’ day, as part of Leighton Park’s Partnerships Week. The event was designed to foster creativity, sustainability awareness, and environmental stewardship among the young participants through a series of engaging workshops and activities.

The Year 4 and Year 5 students split into 3 groups and participated in a carousel of workshops; Nature’s Kitchen, Art from the Park and Climate Theatre.

Nature’s Kitchen: The Food Tech workshop focused on sustainable, in-season produce and quickly became many of the primary school students’ favourite of the sessions including Jacob, Ambrose and Odette. The children enjoyed a hands-on experience making berry crumbles, guided by Leighton Park’s Food Tech teachers Urvashi Cran and Karen Hicks and Year 7 helper, Charlie. Whilst the crumbles were in the oven, the students had a discussion about sustainability and how collective efforts can make a significant impact on the world. Urvashi and Karen shared practical ideas and inspired the students to think about how they can contribute to a more sustainable future. At the end of the session, each student proudly took home their homemade crumble to share with their families, promoting the message of sustainability beyond the classroom.

Art from the Park: The creativity continued as the students also participated in an Art workshop led by LP Art teacher, Sarah Lawman and Year 7 helper, Molly. Taking inspiration from the natural surroundings of the park, the children created their own badges, allowing them to express their artistic talents. Each student crafted a unique badge that they proudly wore home, symbolizing their connection to nature and the creativity sparked by the day’s events. This was the favourite session of the day for Beatrix and Mariana gave it 10/10 as she enjoyed making the badges.

Climate Theatre: The final workshop of the 3 was the Climate Theatre session, directed by our Head of Drama, Peter Scoggins. This dynamic workshop encouraged the students to explore important climate issues through the medium of theatre. Inspired by the principles of COP, the children devised their own protest theatre pieces. They engaged in improvisation and creative expression to convey powerful messages about climate action. This activity not only developed their dramatic skills but also deepened their understanding of global environmental challenges and the importance of taking positive action. Kidmore End pupil, Mia, loved the Drama session saying “it was really fun” & Jessica agreed it was her favourite too.

Kidmore End’s Year 4 teacher commented “The students can now see reasons why our planet needs help”, whilst student Thea thought the day “couldn’t be better” as it was “fabulous” and Charlie agreed saying he loved “everything”.  Meanwhile, Kidmore End pupil Ellie thought the day was “perfect” and her favourite part was the lunch; Orla was inclined to agree stating Oakview was “the best canteen I have ever seen” but added “Although Drama and Art were amazing, Cooking sold it for me…I think it was great”.

Our inaugural ‘Creativity on the Park’ was a great success, fostering both creativity and environmental awareness; we hope the day will have left a lasting impression on the children from Kidmore End CofE Primary School.