Year 3 – Sculpture

Year 3 – Sculpture

This half term the children in year 3 have been exploring the world of sculpture. They have learnt that sculpture can be made from lots of different materials, can be placed anywhere, cab be big or small and can be ephemeral (which means it does not last).

Year 3 looked closely at the work of American sculptor , Alexander Calder, also known as Sandy. He created huge sculptures called stabiles and is perhaps most famous for his kinetic sculptures which had to balance and hung from a ceiling. The children noticed that Alexander Calder used lots of 2d shapes and the primary colours to make his sculptures. They began their learning journey by looking at his paintings and drawings and learned that he was a mathematician and engineer before becoming an artist and sculptor. 

The children created their own ideas in their sketchbooks using line, shapes and the primary colours using some of Calder’s art works as inspiration. They worked with wax crayon and felt tips for a bold, confident result. Next, they used paper strips of different thickness and colours to create their own sculpture which had different heights and shapes. Finally, they worked hard to create a kinetic sculpture, which they could hang from the ceiling similar to Calder’s sculpture. The children in year 3 were also excited to know that they can go and visit Leeds Art Gallery where there is an Alexander Calder kinetic sculpture in the entranceway to the gallery.