Covid response: Supporting children through creativity and art
The moment COVID-19 lockdowns were announced and schools were all but closed to most, we knew this would be devastating for many Hareclive children. School is their education and, for many, also provides food, warmth, a safe environment, adult support, green space and play – especially when many children live in flats and have no garden. School also has resources: pens, paper, books, computers and, in Room 13, art materials. Many children have no access to these things at home.
But we know that creativity is a power that can be drawn upon to help in any situation. We immediately made plans for Room 13 to support children at a distance. We fundraised and organised art pack deliveries; produced short ‘creative making’ films for those with on-line access (less than half some classes); ran creative support and recovery sessions as children returned to school; produced Alone Together, our collective spoken word film capturing children’s experiences of Covid, and shared our learning around Covid, children and creativity as widely as we could. Read more on all these below.
Art pack deliveries
Thanks to wonderful local media coverage and donors who understood that “we’re all in the same storm, but not the same boat”, we raised £13,000.00 for three separate art pack deliveries to all Hareclive children during lockdowns, with some also going to other young families via our local health centre.
Packs were facilitated by Bristol’s Children’s Scrapstore and they included a mixture of pencils, crayons, felt tips, paints, paper, plasticine as well as annuals (books), cuddly toys, playing cards, stickers and ‘how to..’ activities. We wrote illustrated letters to children to inspire creativity and imagination as ways of coping. We also sent out business packs to the Management Team including note books, highlighters, post-it notes, rulers, calculators and pens. We updated them on studio business and plans, so they were still part of the team.
Room 13 Hareclive was one of the first community arts group to initiate this idea. We were supported by Arts Council England who also then supported other groups under a programme called Let’s Create Packs.
“Kept me happy and learning.”
“Used the cups to make a castle and make a love heart out of the plastercine which I gave to my nan in hospital.”
“Went crazy, (using the plastercine) made stuff then destroyed it and remade it again until it all went.”
“Using the plastercine my mum saw what I could do and that I was having fun. She was so impressed that she then thought of buying me some more.”
“Made a rainbow.”
“Felt calmer to work on my own as I have younger siblings.”
“I liked getting my families impressions and opinions about what I was making.”
Creative making films
Co-founders and artist educators Shani and Paul made these DIY short creative making films from their home to reach Hareclive children and give simple activities needing very few resources. Just a sheet of paper, a pencil, or shadows on the wall. In some classes, less than 50% of children had access to on-line during Covid lockdowns, so many children have discovered these films since returning to school. Other than Hello, a direct message to Room 13ers, the films can be used by all children, teachers and parents anywhere. We also have other accessible materials on our Resources page.
Creative support and recovery sessions
When children returned to school after more than 12 months of huge disruption and stopping and starting, it was clear that to many, this time span had felt a life time. A vast space between ‘then’ and ‘now’. With strong restrictions still in place, we worked with every single child in the studio in a scheduled, organised way, and talked to children informally at the studio door. The making sessions provided children with a regular, nurturing creative space to express experiences and feelings in a safe way, and to talk of hopes, dreams and the positives of coming back together. This was even more important given the huge external pressure on schools to ‘catch up’.
Sessions focussed on children re/discovering their identity, often through creating placards of their names: who am I? What do I love? What am I good at? Together we also captured responses and experiences from Covid. We set up a ‘song booth’ where children could leave lyrics and we gathered in key words that children associated with COVID and coming back together. All of this went into our studio spoken word film which you can watch and read more about in the section below.
“We are back as a different species.”
“Has it been 20 years?”
“I remember this table…” (said wonderingly, of a place they worked at daily for years).”
“The multiple lockdowns have affected us extremely.”
“Some of this is negative and some positive. Lockdown has been hard to live with, mostly negative.”
“Lockdown was like being in a prison. Your own personal relaxation prison – but it’s not relaxing, it’s confusing. You can relax but it’s very stressful because you can’t go out.”
Alone Together: our studio spoken word film about Covid
Alone Together was co-created by children aged 5 - 11. It is made up of words, thoughts and feelings gathered in by Shani and Paul, artist educators, from summer 2020 – March 2021 and voiced by children. The collected words became song lyrics and we set up a sound studio under our table. Children made demo recordings and wanted to create a film to go with it. We used artworks as illustrations, created by children during our recovery sessions. This project was funded by Bristol City Council.
Alone Together captures forever what children experienced and went through during Covid and it’s important to remember how this time was: separated from family and friends and for some, a parent; separated from school and all it gave them; isolated and indoors, many in flats with no outside space or on-line access; and, for some children, direct experience of family illness or bereavement or other traumatic experiences relating to their home situations. On top of this, ongoing restrictions, uncertainty and fear in daily life as well as the other huge impacts of Covid on families around employment, income and hardship. The impact of all this has been vast and is on-going for children.
In coming back together again, children also celebrate what matters to them in the film, and what helps: creativity, imagination, community, togetherness, hope and dreams…
Sharing our learning
In 2021, we took part in an on-line seminar organised by Take A Part, Plymouth: ‘A national conversation on the importance of creative learning for children during Covid.’ You can watch our presentation – ‘Where is creative education, arts and culture for the most in need children?’ – and explore more advocacy on our resources and advocacy pages.