This term, Year 3 has been exploring art in new and exciting ways. Recently, the children studied “The Courtyard of a House in Delft”, a painting by Pieter de Hooch from 1658.
Before showing them the artwork, we talked about what makes a painting special—how artists use light, shadows, and colour to tell a story or create a feeling. Once the painting was revealed, the children were invited to look closely at the scene: a calm, sunny courtyard of a red-brick house in 17th-century Holland.
Inspired by this, the children then got creative with clay, each designing their own gargoyle. They used their hands and fingers to knead the clay before using a simply pencil for smoothing and adding detail. The clay models were later displayed at our school exhibition, where the children shared their work with pride.
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