Drop-in Art Workshop

On 11th October, during the drop-in session with the Environment Agency, Tamed held an art workshop at the Community Centre. First the year four children came over from Deykin Avenue Junior's, and then, after school, the workshop was open to anyone else who wanted to attend.

On the floor we laid down paper and painted a large image of the River Tame. The children could make animals that either live on the river now, or we would like to see living on the river in the future. They then built a habitat (house) for their animals along the river.

A colourful butterfly.

An otter and his habitat. It would be lovely to see otters along the river!

A bank vole in a warm, cosy hole in the river bank.

Rabbits can often be spotted along the river in Witton.


















After school a lot more animals and habitats were made.

Some children who live locally made a park.

The river was filled with fish.

Tissue and shiny paper makes great water!

The vole lives under the tree, whilst the buzzard looks down from below. Be careful little vole!

The rabbit lives in a burrow underground.

Parents helped to make the habitats.

The river needs lots of trees for animals to make their homes.

Lots of trees!

This tree was put in the park that was made.

This nest was for a heron.

All over, and Witton and the River Tame have some great habitats for lots of different kinds of animals.

The Mobile Drawing Studio Comes To Witton

You might have noticed some watery blue figures popping up over Witton last week, and filling the streets around Deykin Avenue School and along the River Tame. Well, the Mobile Drawing Studio was in town from Alabama in America and working with the pupils of Mr. Downes's class making river spirits.

We started off taking a walk down the river, taking a look along the way till it got greener and greener, and we could sit on the river bank.

Each of the children explored the river from the perspective of one of three animals, each of which is returning to rivers across the UK,including other parts of the Tame, and that we would like to see in our own urban rivers; the osprey, the bank vole and the speckled trout. The ospreys soared above the river looking for food, the voles liked to snuggle in their warm holes and come out to look for berries, and the fish swam through the cool water. We found that the animals didn't like the litter in the river, and wanted people to keep the water clean for them.


After the walk the class drew around each other and thought about what kind of message they would like to tell people about the river. The children put the messages on their pictures and produced some wonderful work, as can be seen below.

The Mobile Drawing Studio produced cardboard cut-outs from the children's drawings, painted them blue, and it was those that could be spotted all around the area last week.

Look out for more activities in Witton!









Thank you to the Mobile Drawing Studio and to Deykin Avenue School for a great day.