New free resources from Twinkl in partnership with the Tate gallery

Twinkl have produced some new, free, resources in partnership with Tate Kids, aimed at introducing children to some famous artists, helping them to learn more about them and inspiring their own creativity. Art is very important to me, and I love sharing my thoughts and feelings about different paintings with my children, so I was looking forward to seeing what my children thought of these resources.

You can find all the new resources here - Tate Kids and Twinkl. Three artists are featured - Gwen John, John Millais and George Stubbs - and resources have been produced for children in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. The resources are intended to introduce children to the artist, encourage them to do their own research into their lives and features of their work, then have a go at producing their own work based upon the style of the artist. All these resources are completely free, so you don't need a paid subscription to download them.

I decided to look at the work of Gwen John, as she was a new artist to me. We started by downloading the PowerPoint presentation All About Gwen John PowerPoint KS2. The presentation is a really good introduction to the artist,  with biographical information, many examples of her paintings, and discussion about her painting style. There is also a Powerpoint presentation aimed at KS1 children which is a little simpler - All About Gwen John PowerPoint KS1. I was really interested to learn about her, and how she managed to succeed as an artist in a male-dominated world, it's a really inspiring story.

Download here - Gwen John PowerPoint KS2

Then I downloaded the Gwen John Artist Research Discovery Pack KS2. The pack contains a number of resources - a Comparison Sheet to compare her work to that of another artist, a Fact File containing some key facts, a KWL Grid to complete things that the child knows, wants to know and has learnt, a My Powerful Questions sheet to help focus their research, and a Research Map to to add in and display facts and pictures. I chose the KS2 pack for my older child, but like the PowerPoint presentation this resource is also available in a slightly simplified version aimed at KS1 children -  Gwen John Artist Research Discovery Pack KS1

The children really enjoyed learning about a new artist, and next time we are in London I'm planning a trip to the gallery to see some of her paintings in real life!

I have been provided with a Platinum subscription to Twinkl in exchange for sharing these resources on my blog and social media.