Mehndi Workshops

Creativity	Friendship	Team Work
Learning new art forms	Sharing	Indian Musical Instruments

The discovery of an Indian craft form has a very real role to play in an educational environment. The work is enjoyable, stimulates the imagination and is ideal for exploring a wide range of technical skills and cross-curricular activities. The skills involved make a valued contribution to elements of the National Curriculum. All the crafts, dance and music available by us explores on a very simple level with detailed supervision for younger children or on a more complex and challenging scale depending on the skill of the participants.

The length of workshops can vary from 1-1½ hours, depending on the age and concentration span of the students.

A basic workshop is based around traditional and cultural use of mehndi which involves participants using mehndi as body art. During this workshop childern will be encourage in various disscussion depending on their age and topic of the day. The most enjoyable excersice during this workshop by the students and teachers is applying mehndi on hands.

There is another style of workshop where mehndi is used in a contemporary context as a craft dye. During this workshop participants will learn how mehndi is used to decorate wood, leather and textiles. They could create wall hangings or individual pieces of carft depending on the funds available.

Each workshop will consist of:

1. Presentation
2. Planning
3. Practice
4. Application
5. Evaluation

• Presentation: It is possible to integrate topics on History, Geography, RE, Mathematic, Health, Science, Arts and design or Cultural awareness, all related to mehndi.
• Planning: Each participant will take part in a planning exercise. Each student will plan their design on paper to understand whether it will work or not. The designs can be done in groups or individually, depending on the aim of the workshop
• Practice: Participants then learn to use henna tubes. It involves skill and understanding of how the tube works and how to take care of it. This also enables the student to experience the texture and get a feel for the mehndi.
• Application: Once planning and practice is completed participants then get to use mehndi on there hands or on their craft pieces.
• Evaluation: While the mehndi is drying, a verbal evaluation takes place as sometimes it is difficult to do a written evaluation with mehndi on their hands.

The workshop gives students the opportunity to be creative in a new art form as there are no boundaries.

They can design what ever they like and draw anything they want. It can stimulate imagination and also boost their artistic potential.

If you would like any help in organising an event or need a co-ordinator for this, or any other art forms, please do get in touch with me.

Consent letter information

Mehndi is a natural dye made from the leaves of Lawsonia Inermis Plant. The leaves are crushed and made into a paste by adding lemon juice or lemon powder, eucalyptus oil and hot water.

The whole process is prepared by the artist. Mehndi used during the workshops is organic and it is totally harmless.

However, if anyone has any problems or any allergy issues please do not hesitate to contact the artist on the day or by email on nasreen@mehndidesign.co.uk.

Please try not to exclude your child form this experience