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Arts Week 2025 – Down in the John Hampden Jungle!

14/02/2025 by Laura Craig

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  • The Jungle
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  • The Jungle
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Click here to watch the timelapse video of the back wall creation!

The John Hampden art explorers were off again this year to the depths of the Indian jungle where they discovered a menagerie of animals hidden in the undergrowth.
Supported by a huge posse of parents, grandparents, staff, old and new and local council members, the children joined together to create their own jungle scene in the Jackson Hall.
Creativity knew no bounds as they drew, painted, collaged, printed and junk modelled their way to a tropical world populated by long-legged tigers, colourful chameleons, hungry sloth bears, cheeky monkeys, fierce panthers and an inquisitive and slightly angry leopard(inspired by Henri Rousseau’s painting ‘The Dream’)! The scene was watched over by an extensive flock of exotic birds who had flown in to roost on the rare Artsweek Homework Tree( thank you to all for your amazing homework contributions!).
Hungry spectators had appetites satisfied by the ever popular biscuit decorating station, where animal faces were designed to be devoured!
Clay jungle animals lurked in the background as cheeky monkey faces chattered, sounding the alarm, handprint parrots flapping off to the safety of the tree tops as startled animal faces peered between the leaves.
3D animals, designed by each year group, stalked their prey or hurried to hide from their predators in the jungle foliage. A mandrill showed it’s pink and blue bottom as an orangutan lazily munched it’s lunch, a huge tiger ready to pounce on unsuspecting animals, a snake silently slithering through the undergrowth, scenting the air, tree frogs alert for danger, a huge spider on the prowl and sloths sleepily hanging from the vines while a beautiful butterfly fluttered above with the majestic peacock and colourful parrots looking on!
The staff of John Hampden were also on full art alert with the Great Bird Brain competition, where they made their own congregation of eye-catching air flappers to confuse their classes over whose bird is whose, the children trying to match each bird to its staff creator for an arty prize.
The week culminated in an animal dress up day where tigers and monkeys cavorted with snakes and frogs, waking the sloths from their jungle slumber at the Arts Café, munching on jungle themed cakes and biscuits to raise money for next year’s endeavors!
We all had an amazing jungle adventure and we can revisit our exotic world on our return after half term to inspire us in future learning! We look forward to welcoming you all back next year for future arts fun!
Jackie Nichols, Art Co-ordinator
Special thanks to:
All the parents, grandparents, staff, old and new, local council members who volunteered to help for the week; the PTFA for funding Artsweek, organising the Arts Café and help and support throughout the year; Astor Bannerman for the donation of wood, the making and delivery of the homework tree, and Charlotte McDermott for assembling it;
Tom Youens for the shop display items and boxes that have been transformed by five classes into jungle creatures and a jungle hide!

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