In our recent lessons, we’ve been exploring emotions with a recent focus on understanding sadness. Using the beautiful story A Shelter for Sadness by Anne Booth, we discussed how sadness can sometimes feel like a companion—one we might need to understand and accept before it can gently move along. This opened up a space for the children to share their experiences with sadness. Together, we brainstormed strategies for handling these feelings, especially when they start to feel overwhelming.
To visually express sadness, we created art using watercolour washes. This technique allowed the children to capture the soft, flowing nature of sadness, starting with gentle color washes on the page. Once the background was complete, they added delicate details with finer brushes, giving their pieces a personal and reflective touch. These pictures, captured in our final painting stage, show their interpretations of sadness, layered and thoughtful, as they learned not only how to paint but also how to express and reflect on their feelings through art.
author: SG
