This activity was used with children in reception and key stage 1, year 1.

Aim

• To promote pupils' understanding of themselves through creative work.

Activity objectives

• To explore ideas about themselves and concepts that mean something to them (requirement 5a of the programme of study).
• To represent these ideas and feelings to create an individual image (requirement 2a of the programme of study) and to make sense of these in a personal way in their own creative work.
• To investigate the possibilities of photography and collage materials and processes (requirement 2a of the programme of study).
• To share ideas as they develop their work, working individually and collaboratively on a large scale (requirement 5b of the programme of study).

Activity description

The teacher chose the idea of a people jigsaw to link with work in science based on the theme of 'ourselves'. The children discussed the idea that each person could be thought of as an island: each of us has an individual identity.

First, the children were given large sheets of paper. Each child lay on the paper and their partner drew around them to outline their shape. The teacher transferred the shapes on to firm card and cut them out.

Next, the children took photographs of each other and of places that were important to them. They also took photographs of special objects and selected images that they identified with from magazines. They combined all the materials they had collected to make a collage, glueing the shapes on the cut-out of themselves. The surface of each child's collage was varnished to protect it.

Finally, each cut-out shape of a child was made into a large-scale jigsaw. Each child's shape was cut into large pieces. These were then stuck on to a huge piece of card and the shapes between the figures of the children were painted to represent areas of water around the 'islands'.

Commentary

The idea of making a jigsaw was stimulating as all reception and year 1 children had experienced and enjoyed this activity. Drawing around their own shapes was a very personal activity. This gave the children ownership of their work and helped them understand the concept of an island and the metaphor of themselves as special and individual but also as part of a wider community. Photography was an exciting way to capture images that were meaningful to them.

Reassembling the pieces of the jigsaw reminded the children that, although they had made individual pieces, these could be fitted together to make a whole, emphasising the importance of relationships.