There was a striking sense of calm in the PP3 classroom during last week’s painting sessions. With classical music playing softly in the background and every child absorbed in their work, the room felt focused and settled, creating an atmosphere that challenged the usual expectations of Pre-Prep children let loose with paintbrushes!
As part of their expressive painting topic, the children worked in the style of Vincent van Gogh, exploring how feelings and movement can be shown through brushstrokes, colour and texture. They experimented with different ways of applying paint, discovering how small changes in pressure, direction and layering could completely alter the mood of an image.
For their final piece, the class created their own versions of The Starry Night using acrylic paint. Each pupil carefully built up layers of swirling strokes to capture the sense of energy in the original painting. While the subject was the same, every piece reflected the child who made it: some bold and dramatic, others more controlled and gentle.
What stood out most was the level of concentration. Every child was deeply engaged in the process, working quietly and thoughtfully, clearly absorbed in what they were creating.
The finished paintings, kept in the pupils’ sketchbooks, will become a very special keepsake for children and their parents, both at the end of the academic year when they can take them home and in years to come.
To see some more of the photos in a gallery