We have had a great time picking up the transformed water bottles from schools across Southwark.  The classes have turned them into such imaginative things!  Every time I think I have found my favourite, another one comes along.  We have water bottles that have been turned into a purple octopus, a rocket ship, a ladybird.  There is one that reception children from St Joseph’s made with seedlings growing in it and another that’s been filled with water and sand (it was heavy to carry!).  A beautiful vase with paper flowers stands next to an abstract art piece with cut outs of children’s hands glued to it.  A time capsule has been created with notes written by children placed inside and if I’m not mistaken, the Very Hungry Caterpillar has made an appearance as well.

As we video the children talking about their bottles, what we hear time and time again is not only how much fun the children have had making their creations, but how much thought they have given to creating them.  A number of children have told us that their first attempt didn’t look so good, so they had to start again. Groups have told us how they wanted to send a message with their bottle so that people would think about protecting the earth’s precious resources.  Another class made theirs into a rocket because they were studying space and it ‘just made sense’ to use their bottle as an extension of their learning.  The bottles are colourful, full of life, joyous and surprising.  Just like the children who made them.  Now. . .how to incorporate them into the building!

Sydney Thornbury from WebPlay reviews the creative use of water bottles from Southwark school children…