Week 11 – Exploring your creativity

For our Giving Tuesday campaign this week, we are focusing on creativity.
Creativity is good for you: it improves your mood, renews brain function and relieves stress.
Whether your creative preference is for music, art, writing or something else entirely, letting those creative juices flow can really make you feel better.
Try your hand at drawing
“Drawing with Rob” on YouTube is a brilliant series of simple lessons for kids (and grown ups!) that teaches you the basics of drawing. Check it out here… #DrawWithRob
Also, the Rapid Fire Art website has some great resources to dip into, including a free ‘How to Draw for Beginners’ 10 lesson course online, with feedback from the owner and other students participating in the course via their Facebook page. You can access the course info here.
Alternatively, if you’re just starting out and want some ideas, check out the Go Sketch website, where they offer lots of resources for all ages. They are currently running a ’30 day doodle challenge’ with weekly sketch videos and live classes, competitions and more… all you have to do is sign up for their newsletter.

Give painting a go
Local pottery café “Cre-Art-Tivity” has been posting free lockdown art classes for children on their FaceBook page, as well as paint-at-home pottery options.
The Nurture Store website offers 100 free online art lessons for children that they can do at home, using simple art materials. Check it out here.

Have a go at some creative writing
Here at Home-Start, we are collecting stories that have been written by the families we support, and our team members to share with our supporters at a later date. Why not have a go at writing us a story to be included in our collection?
Not sure where to start? The Oxford Owl website is a good place to start, with lots of activities to help you find story ideas, characters, and more.

Other resources
Hobbycraft’s website is full of great ideas for creativity… they have lots of ‘how to’ posts to browse through, things like “How to make botanical jars“, “How to make a macrame keyring” and “How to make zoo rolls” (a great one for the kids!).
The Skill Share website is another great creative find… from Animation to Photography, Illustration to Creative Writing, there’s plenty for you to look at and find your niche. Check it out here.
And if your creation doesn’t work out quite the way you wanted? That’s fine too. Learning to deal with set backs and errors helps you to build resilience, making you stronger in the face of future adversity.

