This week the children ventured into the world of art, where they discovered the essential elements of painting and explored the work of some of the world's great artists.
They learned about colours, about brushes and about painting techniques, and their inspired hands produced genuine pieces of work. We made sure theory came after practice: first try it, then find out why it turned out that way. A child who has seen what a wide brush does compared with a fine one remembers the difference far better than if it had been explained in advance.
Among the figures the little artists discovered was the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși. Sculpture is, at their age, the most approachable of the arts, because working with volume is familiar to them from play — and Brâncuși shows them something they grasp at once: that a form simplified down to its essence can say more than one crowded with detail.
From this week until the end of August, four students from the international association AIESEC also took part in our activities. We were glad to host guests from Turkey, Greece and Azerbaijan and proud of this international collaboration. They presented two projects to the children — Global Classroom and Green Leaders — about digitalisation in education and about environmental protection and sustainability. For the children it was a rare opportunity: they learned new things, met people from different cultures and practised English with speakers they could only understand by trying.
At the same time, colleagues from the National Institute of Optoelectronics showed us innovative methods and techniques for evaluating conservation and restoration work and for monitoring traditional buildings. It was a fitting complement to a week of art: alongside those who create works, there are those who preserve them.
More about the PlusKids Summer School: https://pluskids.ro/en/summer-school