At the ripe old age of 77 and having the luxury of a certain amount of time on my hands I find I am continuously learning new skills. These can be as simple as a new approach to mixing paint mediums to viewing something from an angle I`d never considered before. The world is my oyster and a constant source of wonderment.

This is how I`d love children to see life. Now the new school year has begun their worlds will be full of key subjects, tests and being told to `knuckle down` or `concentrate`. I know from listening to my younger grandchildren how stressful this can be after the freedom of the six weeks holiday.

This is why art is even more important and in my opinion of equal importance to what are called key subjects.

How many times has it been proved how the benefit of art helps mental health. Let`s not forget this is not only amongst adults.

Of course, being an artist and having worked with children for many years I am slightly bias, but I hope staff will open their already full busy heads and explore exciting new ways in their art lessons.

Many schools are using cross curriculum strategies.

This can be productive but a little limiting where art is involved. For example, I have often seen a project on Vikings where the art has been making or painting Viking ships. Surely this would be included in the lesson.

Look I do understand if art isn`t your subject it is an easy option to add as a sideline to the main topic but it`s often to the detriment of imagination and exploring new skills. A display of thirty Viking ships is not my idea of art.

Art should be fun and an adventure. Paint is great but put aside paint brushes. What else could we use? Sea sponges are mine and my student’s favourite, creating beautiful trees and leaves. Toothbrushes, screwed up paper, anything lying around and don`t forget hands and feet. You can probably see why I wasn’t very popular with school cleaners and teachers as we always left a mess.

What fun we had painting staff portraits in white, milk and dark chocolate, doing our best to tidy up by licking out the bowls. Not very `health and safety` but hey what fun. Rolling a car tyre covered in paint created great patterns on a roll of paper on the classroom floor for offering coloured pen pattern ideas.

The children`s art here reflects the adventures they had.

Zenia 12yrs used different techniques including sponges for the trees for this lovely painting of her garden.

`Messy Hands` by Penny 5yrs is a perfect example of how much fun can be had creating an interesting colourful painting.

Using hands and fingers were used by Evie 6yrs in this `Colourful Forest` painting. Very messy but I`m sure you`ll agree produced a good result.

Mason 11yrs likes exploring digital art and the exciting effects of the universe he is able to create and how he imagines it looks like.

I had to include Lydia`s Sweet Explosion, although she is no longer a student of mine. She created this wonderful imaginative fun piece when she was 16years old.

Let`s not stifle our children`s imagination. OK other school subjects are important but please don`t let art be a `filler in` subject or put on the back burner. It is part of the curriculum and should be a stand-alone weekly subject like every other. That was my little nod to teachers, but parents and carers can benefit from getting `art messy` with their children. An ideal way to chill after a busy day.

Please keep sending me children`s artwork to my email; purplegrandma48@gmail.com
Thank you