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Overview of Art Facilitation with a Group with Various disabilities
This is the report from a team who researched, designed and facilitated a group with various disabilities
Planning: A lot of
work went into the planning stage of the facilitation. We found it difficult to
get started because we had no idea of the ability levels of the participants.
We felt better once we had met the people that we were going to be
facilitating. We had a number of meetings to decide what activities we were
going to do. We tried to have one group activity to promote interaction and
team work and a number of individual activities.
Difficulties
encountered: Our primary difficulty was in choosing activities
as we were conscious of the different levels of ability and understanding of
the participants. We wanted activities
which the participants would be able to do to give them a sense of achievement
and we did not want the activities to be too simple for them.
First Facilitation: The
first facilitation went very well but we realised that our plan was very
structured and we needed to be more flexible. We realised that some members of
the group that we were facilitating worked at a much faster pace than others.
We responded by thinking on our feet and introducing the butterfly prints and
marble paining for those who had completed the other activities. This worked
very well as the participants enjoyed these activities. This challenge taught
us the importance of having a back up plan when facilitating groups.
Second Facilitation:
Following the first facilitation we met as a group and discussed what had gone
well and what we needed to change for the second facilitation. We had settled
on a Halloween theme and we refined the planning. We encountered a setback when
the dates were changed and the second facilitation was moved to after
Halloween. We decided to keep the theme but also introduce some Christmas
ideas. The second facilitation was more relaxed and went very well.
Outcomes: Upon
reflection we realised that the participants had thoroughly enjoyed the
facilitation. They were sorry that they would not be coming back and seemed
genuinely disappointed that the Art was over. We observed a difference in the
interactions between the participants
and also noticed how well they had settled and how much better their work was.
One of the participants who had done very little in the first facilitation
spent a lot of time sitting and working in the second. We all met to discuss the second facilitation
and reflected on how much we had enjoyed working with this group of people. We
all agreed that it is a pity that we could not do the third facilitation that
had originally been planned.
Class Art Activity
Record Sheet
Title
of Art Activity: Hand print Flowers
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: The activity was designed to promote
group interaction and team work
Materials
used: Large
sheets of paper taped together
Paint
Paint
Brushes
Glitter
Gloves
Foam Butterflies
Crepe paper
Foam Butterflies
Crepe paper
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and
individual: Both
Level
of artistic skill/ability required: Low
Instruction: Check if the participants have any difficulties with
the feeling of paint on their hands. If hey do ask them to put gloves on. Paint
the hand and apply it to the paper. Add glitter and paint the stem of the
flower. Use crepe paper and foam butterflies to add decoration.
What way would you adapt the activity? If the participant do not like the feeling of paint
and do not want to wear gloves you can draw around the hand and get them to
paint it.
Special precautions/considerations: Use aprons to protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems
Outcome of the activity: The activity was successful. All participants took
part and worked together. Some people seemed to enjoy the activity more than
others. All participants chose to wear gloves for the activity which made it
easier for the facilitators to clean up after the activity. The participants
all contributed and ability did not matter they all worked according to their
own level of ability.
Title
of Art Activity: Hand print Peacocks
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: This
was an individual activity designed to show different things that can be done
with handprints
Materials
used: Paper, Paint, Paint
Brushes, Glitter,Feathers,Markers, Gloves
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and
individual: Both
Level
of artistic skill/ability required: Low
Instruction:
Check if the
participants have any difficulties with the feeling of paint on their hands. If
they do ask them to put gloves on. Paint the hand and apply it to the paper.
Add feathers and draw lines for legs
What way
would you adapt the activity? If the participant do not like the feeling of paint
and do not want to wear gloves you can draw around the hand and get them to
paint it.
Special precautions/considerations: Use aprons to protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems
Outcome of the activity: The activity was successful. All of the participants
did a peacock and seemed to enjoy the activity.
Title
of Art Activity: Marble painting
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: The
activity was designed as an individual activity which promotes creativity and
is very easy to do. It requires very little time.
Materials
used: Paper
Box big enough for paper
Paint
Marbles
Small
plastic cups or paint pots
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and individual:
Individual
Level
of artistic skill/ability required:
Low
Instruction:
Check if the
participants have any difficulties with the feeling of paint on their hands. If
hey do ask them to put gloves on. Place the paper into the box. Allow the
participant to choose different colour paints and pour paints into plastic
cups. Put a marble into each cup and cover it with paint. Take the marbles out
and place them on the paper. Rotate the box and allow the marbles to roll
around.
What way would you adapt the activity? Very large paper on the floor and use a
football covered in paint. Roll the footballs over the paper.
Special precautions/considerations: Use aprons to protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems
Marbles can be dangerous, ensure
that people do not put them in their mouths
Ensure that the marbles do not get dropped on the
floor as they can cause people to fall.
Outcome of the activity: For some of the participants this was their
favourite activity. Many asked to do it over and over again. They seemed to be
fascinated by the effect of the marbles on the paper.
Title
of Art Activity: Butterfly
prints
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: Simple activity which has unusual
results.
Materials
used: Paper
Paint
Glitter
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and
individual: Individual
Level
of artistic skill/ability required: Low
Instruction: Fold a piece of paper in half. Ope it
up and place paint on one side. Close it over and press on the paper to spread
the paint. Open the paper to reveal the painting. Add glitter while the paint
is still wet.
What way would you adapt the activity? Use black paper and white paint. Use
circles of paper.
Special precautions/considerations: Use aprons to protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems
Outcome of the activity: This was a simple activity that we
introduced because we were running out of ideas for some of the participants
who were working much faster than others. Not all of the participants had time
to do this but those who did really enjoyed it. Some of the participants were
surprised by the outcome and did more than one print.
Title
of Art Activity: Plaster of Paris pen holders
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: Sensory activity which makes something that
can be used.
Materials
used: Plastic cup or empty tin
Plaster
of Paris
Bowl
of water
Paint
Glitter
Glue
Stickers
Ribbon
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and
individual: Individual
Level
of artistic skill/ability required: Low
Instruction: Cut dry plaster of Paris into strips.
Dip strips in water and wrap it around the cup or tin. Cover the whole surface
and allow to dry. Decorate with paint glitter ribbon or stickers.
What way would you adapt the activity? Can be used to make plant pots or money
boxes.
Special precautions/considerations: If using tin cans ensure that there
are no sharp edges
Use aprons to
protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems
Outcome of the activity: This activity
was started in the first session and finished in the second. The participants
were delighted to be finishing and wanted to take them home. The participants seemed to enjoy the sensation of the wet plaster or Paris and spent a lot of time trying to get it right.
were delighted to be finishing and wanted to take them home. The participants seemed to enjoy the sensation of the wet plaster or Paris and spent a lot of time trying to get it right.
Title
of Art Activity: Mask Decorating
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: Fun activity, promotes creativity.
Materials
used: Masks
Paint
Glitter
Stickers
Feathers
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and
individual: Individual
Level
of artistic skill/ability required: Low
Instruction: Offer the participants a number of materials to
decorate their masks.
What way would you adapt the activity? Different materials can be used
Special precautions/considerations: Use aprons to protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems
Outcome of the activity: The participants enjoyed this activity. One of the
participants loves masks and was particularly happy with the activity. The
activity was originally going to be a Halloween activity but due to date
changes we adapted it and the participants seemed to have fun.
Title
of Art Activity: Snow Men
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: Create easy and fun Christmas
decorations. Increase creativity.
Materials
used: Polystyrene
egg shapes
Polystyrene
balls
Thick card
circles
Double sided
tape
Paint
Glitter
Small
pompoms
Small googly
eyes
Strips of
crepe paper
Cocktail
sticks
Small pieces
of orange pipe cleaner
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and
individual: Individual
Level
of artistic skill/ability required: Medium
Instruction: Flatten the bottom of the egg shape by cutting a
section off. Use double sided tape to attach the egg shape to the card circle.
Use a cocktail stick to attach the polystyrene ball to the top of the egg
share. Either paint the snowman or cover it with glue and glitter. Use a small
pompom to make a hat and glue it to the top of the head. Add googly eyes and
the small piece of orange pipe cleaner as a nose. Use the strip of crepe paper
to make a scarf.
What way would you adapt the activity? The same shapes can be used to make a spider.
Special precautions/considerations: Use aprons to protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems. This is particularly important when doing an activity focused on
Christmas as the holidays can be very difficult for many vulnerable people.
Outcome of the activity: The participants spent a lot of time on this
activity and appeared to enjoy it. They put a lot of effort into it and were
happy to take the finished snowmen home.
Title
of Art Activity: Christmas Angels
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: Creativity and making something for
Christmas
Materials
used: Polystyrene angels
Crepe
paper
Glitter
Paint
Googly
eyes
Plastic
for wings
Glue
Thumb tacks
Pipe cleaners
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and
individual: Individual
Level
of artistic skill/ability required: Medium
Instruction: Cover the angel shape with glue or
paint. Cover in glitter. Cut out the plastic in the shape of wings. Cover wings
with glue and glitter. Attach the wings with thumb tacks. Add eyes and cut
crepe paper to make hair and glue the hair on to the angels head. Twist a piece
of pipe cleaner and poke it into the top of the head to form a halo.
What way would you adapt the activity? You could use the same polystyrene shapes to
make witches.
Special precautions/considerations: Use aprons to protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems
This is particularly important when doing an
activity focused on Christmas as the holidays can be very difficult for many
vulnerable people.
Outcome
of the activity: This activity was very successful the participants
seemed to enjoy making the angels. The only difficulty we encountered was
getting the wings to stick on to the angels.
Title
of Art Activity: Halloween Prints
Learning
objectives of Art Activity: Group activity designed to promote
interaction and team work
Materials
used: Plastic sheets to make stencils
Simple
drawings
Black
paper
Paint
Paintbrushes
Glitter
Stanley
knife
Suitable
Age group: All ages Group or and
individual: Group
Level
of artistic skill/ability required: Low
Instruction: Place the plastic sheets over the pictures and use a
Stanley knife to cut out the stencils prior to the class. Place the stencil on the paper and use a
brush to paint over the stencil. Add glitter if desired.
What way would you adapt the activity? Stencils can be cut out for all types of seasons and
occasions
Special precautions/considerations: Use aprons to protect clothes
Observe the participants for any sign of emotional
problems
Ensure that there are no sharp edges
on the stencils
Outcome of the activity: This was the least successful activity.
We made the mistake of doing it at the end of the session and it was difficult
to get it set up as some people were ready to start but others were still busy
with other activities. Not everyone got involved and we ran out of time.
