Overview

Project title:
Lightfoot

Project Location:
Sandwell

Date of Project:
February 2007 - April 2009 (years 1 and 2).

Project Participants:
Children aged 3-5 from Early Years Settings across Sandwell including schools, private nurseries, play groups and children’s centres.

Project Funders:
SMBC
Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
Working Neighbourhoods Fund

Project Overview:

Developed by artist Kieran Sheehan, a movement and dance specialist, Lightfoot focused on how movement could be used to explore expression and allow the 3-5 year old age group to discover their own range of movement. This was achieved through a process of fun self-discovery and enabling the development of co-ordination, rhythm and social skills that, in turn, aimed to encourage the increased speech and language abilities of those taking part.

In the first year, sessions incorporated themes based around the elements - earth, air, fire and water. These were represented through objects in trays - water, soil, bubbles etc, which the children were encouraged to explore. In the second year, Kieran developed his sessions further to be more child-led by removing the themes and diversifying the sessions to include sound making, drawing and other creative expression as tools to inform the creation of personal movements.

The outcomes for this project were:

• Children will develop increased confidence in expression through movement.
• Children will develop greater self-awareness.
• Children will develop their co-ordination skills.
• It will encourage response and reaction as a means of communication.
• Children will be able to connect an abstract idea (shapes) to a physical experience.
• Children will engage in and develop different learning style.