VISITING THE SAATCHI GALLERY WITH STUDENTS

SCHOOL: Deer Park Primary School, Chesterfield

OUR ELEPHANT'S NAME: ELEFRIEND

"If the baby elephant didn't have a herd it shows how upset you get if you don't have any friends." Libby (Y1)

"We made a sun with our hands. The sun is very cheerful." Joshua (Y4)

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE NAME
We had a competition to find a name for our elephant. This was open to all our pupils, from ages 4-11. We chose the name 'Elefriend'. Two children, Amelia (Y3) and Nathan (Y1) came up with the name and group painting the elephant felt that this was good and fitted well with our theme.

HOW WE CAME UP WITH OUR DESIGN
We also had a design competition where Dylan Knight (Y2) created an elephant with a hand pattern which inspired our final design. The children felt that the hands were reaching out in friendship.

THE ELEPHANT TEAM
Children, some of their parents and teachers from throughout the school joined our after school club to paint the elephant. One of our parents Nick Potter is an artist and he was very keen to work with the children on the project. He advised them on how to mix the paints and helped them to print their hands onto its body.

A Message from PSHE Coordinator Mrs Caudle:
"It was great to have this mix of children working together on an Art/PSHE project. They were all very aware of the significance of the elephant and talked throughout the sessions about how they felt about the importance of friendships and working together. There was a lovely atmosphere during the workshops with members of staff, parents and children all feeling part of a very special project."