Niddrie Mill Primary School Grounds+

P1’s and P5’s worked on Mandala designs as part of their learning of Diwali. It was interesting to see how the different ages approached a similar task and how introducing lines of symmetry quickly turned an Art/ RME activity into Maths.
Working in cooperative groups pupils used a range of loose parts materials to design their own mandala patterns. Hoops and sticks were used for some younger children to help guide them however some older pupils chose to use hoops to add to their design. Bottle tops were particularly popular and the use of chalk enhanced the designs further. Photos were taken of pupils designs so that they had a record of their work and children understood that they would have to tidy up at the end of the session.

This tasks works well using loose parts and can be recreated in school grounds easily. In a woodland setting more natural materials can be used especially in autumn when leaves can provide some gorgeous colour.