Families follow a colourful Art Trail at Salamander Early Education

THERE was plenty of colour, creativity and some very proud young artists at Salamander Early Education when families were invited inside for a special Art Trail event.

Held during Book Week, the one-off event gave parents and families the chance to walk through the centre and see what their kids, ranging from babies to preschoolers, had been creating.

Educational Leader Natalie Youd said the idea for the special event was to show families the many different ways children can explore art and creativity.

“We just decided to do this on a whim, just to showcase all the different ways that art happens in early childhood from babies all the way through to preschoolers,” she said.

And there was certainly plenty to look at. As families made their way from room to room, they discovered clay creations, puppets, story stones, sensory art and plenty of colourful artwork.

Some of the children’s projects were inspired by their own backyard and regular walks through nearby Mambo Wetlands, where they explore the bush and learn about local birds, insects and other wildlife.

An interest in ants even grew into a much bigger project, with the children using art, stories and dramatic play to explore what they’d discovered.

There were also some less traditional ways of making art. Children experimented with charcoal and recycled materials, painted using their hands and feet and even created art while hanging from the monkey bars.

For the centre’s youngest children, getting messy was all part of the fun, with educators encouraging them to explore different textures, colours and materials.

The Art Trail wasn’t about every child producing a perfect picture to take home.

“We’re passionate about play and learning in the early years, and we’ve used art to represent that,” Ms Youd said

“It’s not just about the product of art, but so much about the process behind it.”

Parent Taylor Jones, who has two children attending the centre, enjoyed getting the chance to see what the children had been working on.

“It just goes to show that kids do really absorb everything and what we teach them really comes out in their own creativity,” she said.

For the families walking the trail, the special event offered a colourful glimpse into what their children get up to when Mum and Dad aren’t around, showing that there’s a lot more happening behind those paint-covered little hands than meets the eye.

By Althea GUINSBERG