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Comments
Letters sent in by organisations
Birmingham City Council (European & International Division)
Heartland & Solihull NHS Trust (Arts for Heartland Project)
Letters from students & teachers
Moulton Primary School
Northampton
The 2-day visit was a great success. The children were al thoroughly enchanted by you and your activities. It was helpful that the children had already studied India aid the age group of the children was very appropriate. Next time I would probably tie it in when the children are studying the topic at the time.
Fridays art project (making wall hangings focusing on a wide range of patterns) was a great success possibly helped by the children taking part in the workshop the day before. The children were very eager all day long and worked with great vigour and care. It was very useful having the whole day to take the project slowly, step-by-step. It gave the children time to experiment and plan.
The only downside was the it would have been lovely to have more children involved, but on the day the number was just right!
Sarah Clarke (14 th and 15 th June 05)
Malver Parish
We all thoroughly enjoyed your visit and there is a mehndiful feel about the school as the children compare each other’s designs and whether they have taken or not. I was very impressed with your delivery, the pace of the learning and your subject knowledge. This gave the children a real insight into the world o f henna design and its positive impact upon society and cultures rather than its religious overtones. Year six certainly picked up on this and drew a real understanding from your sessions on the difference between culture and religion. They rose to this impressed with the methods by which you allowed the children such freedom of expression. They rose to this independence on offer – and produced some fabulous designs, which we are using as part of our display work. Your sessions played an integral role in what has been an excellent week where multiculturalism has been firmly embedded in the life of Malvern Parish.
Richard Kieran
Little Footsetps Play Scheme
The workshop you did on the 17 th Feb 05 was very good the children really enjoyed this workshop and the young lady they worked with was very good. She explained and encouraged all age groups.
I would like to say that the work you do is a good way of getting other cultures to understand and value other’s cultures.
Many thanks. Mrs Winters
Prestbury Church of England Primary School
Cheshire.
The artist arrived punctually and was keen to get started and prepare her materials and resources before the children arrived in class. She gave an interesting talk on the origins and history of mehndi. She showed a variety of designs and demonstrated the skill of hand decorating. She was enthusiastic in delivery of her talk. Therefore all the children were interested and motivated to do their own hand designs. This was a fun activity which broadened the cultural knowledge of the children and was well received by children, teachers and parents.
With many thanks for your contribution in making our Arts Week so successful.
Mrs Sue Parker. (Deputy Headteacher)
CHILDREN’S COMMENTS
Mill Lodge Primary School
Thank you for coming to tell us and do mehndi. I liked the smell of eucalyptus oil and the mehndi plant. When we put the mehndi on it was cool and refreshing. (THOMAS)
I learnt a lot about which mehndi you should put on your hand.
I was worried about putting mehndi on my hand because I thought it would look all mess. The part I enjoyed was when I put the mehndi on my hand. (JEDD)
Thanks for coming and I hope to de well in other schools. You’re very knowledgeable on mehndi. You told us some safety reasons about mehndi like black mehndi in wrong. (BEN)
I really enjoyed using mehndi. The patterns on my hand have come out a really nice chocolate brown. I have left my pouch in the fridge. When I get home I will apply some tonight to make a bracelet. I am going to make a beauty salon with mehndi as a special one. I will advise all my customers to not use black mehndi. Now what that plant called again?….. (AMY)
Braidwood School for Deaf
Thanks you so much for coming to our school yesterday and teaching our pupils the art of Mehndi. They all loved decorating mirrors with Mehndi and felt a real sense of achievement during the sessions. The structure of the workshop and the way in which you presented the information to the group was very accessible, despite our pupils having special needs. It was a very relaxing activity and the pupils clearly loved it.
Andrea Grindal
As one of the teachers who supported the deaf students in Braidwood School yesterday I would like to thank you for delivering an excellent workshop. The pupils ranged from Year 7 to Year 10 and each one of them clearly thoroughly enjoyed their sessions with you. Your brief introductions and explanations of the history and background of Mehndi were very clear and appropriate and it was particularly helpful for the students to be able to see henna at different stages of the process. Your preparation and organisation were excellent which meant that every pupil could take home a completed mirror at the end of the two one hour sessions. It was lovely to see all the pupils so engrossed in the activity and to see their pleasure in the finished item. I would love to have had a go myself! So thanks again. I would certainly recommend you to other schools.
Yours sincerely
Alison Dutton
Bilston Craft Gallery
Many thanks for your workshop on the Open Day of Patterns of Identity, the day as a great success and we were extremely pleased with the turnout and the new audiences we attracted. You engaged with visitors of all ages wonderfully; the chilren were excited by the designs and process, and adults found your knowledge on Mehndi extensive. People attended especially for the Mehndi and we found it an excellent way of getting visitors to further examine the designs in the exhbition.
We had a great day with 142 visitors in total.
Evesham Library
Thank you very much for running the workshops fpr us last Friday . I understand from Sue and Barbara that some feedback on them would be helpful .. All the staff involved ( and those who saw the children afterwards ) felt that they were very successful . The children seemed to become fully involved and absorbed in what they were doing - you could tell that by how quiet they were as they concentrated on what they were doing ! We were surprised at how good the designs were that they came up with and applied to themselves - they really did look very good , you would think they had done it before . It also attracted some children who haven't previously come to our events so that was good too .
Thank you
Penny
