There’s nothing like a little sugar to motivate. Even the sweet idea of it is enough to inspire students on to greatness in the classroom. Now normally, we are striving towards ideals of uniqueness and even creative divergence in the Art room, but it all went out the window when we assumed the role of workers in what might just be the most fantastic of factories, Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! In preparation for the school musical, students in Years 2, 3 and 5 Art classes have been working all year towards our installations in the MRK, producing Wonka bars, lollipops and lollies.
Year 5 students have focused on learning a basket-making technique called ‘wrapping and coiling’. The spiralling form of this fibre art suggested itself for creating lollipops. Taking a fantasy twist, we have displayed these as a collaborative piece, the Year 5 Lollipop Tree. This activity requires a lot of coordination and hand strength, and it has been delightful to see how focused students have been in their application to the task.
Year 2 classes looked at ways to create pattern with coloured line, using paint pens to design wrappers for shiny, oversized lollies which, of course, also grow on trees. What’s really underneath those wrappers? That is our Year 2 secret…
Year 3 have recreated the scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Veruca Salt’s father sets his factory workers to unwrapping boxes and boxes of Wonka bars, in the hope of discovering an elusive Golden Ticket. Students applied their skills in making clay slabs to create some very realistic ceramic chocolate bars. Students embossed the clay to form the chocolate squares and used a chocolate underglaze to colour the bars. After very carefully wrapping their Wonka Bars, students tore open the wrappers to display their ceramic work.
We hope you enjoy the installation of our artworks in the MRK as much as we enjoyed making them.
Mrs Ann McDermott
Junior School Specialist Teacher (Visual Arts)
