Kelsall Avenue Nursery School in Blackburn has strong international connections in its links with schools in Spain and Italy through the British Council. In one activity, the children built 80 model houses out of clay, using the work of Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi as inspiration.
Locally-based Dutch artist Marjon Wouda helped the children with the project. Teacher Ros Wilson said, 'We invited Marjon to work with us and, because of our Spanish connections, she chose Gaudi's work. The children created interesting patterns by using lace and netting.'
Kelsall Avenue joined the British Council's Comenius Project two years ago.
Through Comenius, the school forged links with a secondary school in Lucena, Spain, a nursery school in Pitigliano, Tuscany, and a nursery school in Paesana, near Turin.
'It is quite unusual for a nursery school to have international links,'
said Ms Wilson. 'You often find those happening more at primary or secondary level, but we're part of Europe now, so we try to bring that into everything we do. It's about giving our children and their parents a broader perspective, and the parents are very interested in it.'
The children learned about life in Italy when they hosted a visit from their Italian partner schools. The Italian teachers made traditional food, sang songs and taught the children how to say 'hello' in Italian. In return, local parents cooked Indian food and showed the visitors around Lancashire.
Kelsall Avenue has just received funding for a new three-year Comenius project, and hopes to extend its contacts to schools in Portugal, Sicily and Malta.
The model houses are on show at the Watercolour Gallery at Blackburn Museum. It is hoped that the display will help Kelsall Avenue achieve International School status awarded by the British Council.
The museum's education officer, Steve Irwin, said the children were some of the youngest artists ever to exhibit there. 'Children are naturally very creative and this is a great opportunity for them to show off their work to a wider audience, and a great chance for visitors to see what they are capable of,' he said.
