The idea for the personal mandala came from initial planning suggestions to challenge Yr5/6 students at
School of the Good Shepherd Gladstone Park to create a piece that reflected their likes, values,
wonderments and demonstrated their personal journeys so far.

We looked at the history of mandalas, how they are used in religion to reflect spiritual ideas, as well as
how other cultural groups depict their faith and values through the creation of mandalas either as
pieces of art or architecture.

Through this exploration the children gained a greater understanding of how other religions and cultural
groups use art for spiritual reasons. They gained a greater understanding that art in some cultures was
not necessarily about aesthetics, personal exploration and expression, but rather to show a deeper
understanding of their religious beliefs and understandings of life. The detailed Buddhist sand
mandalas, created by monks over
a number of days and then ceremonially swept away symbolises the
circle of life as well as the impermanence of life.

Following the discussion and brainstorming of ‘who am I?’ recording the words that best
describe themselves, their likes and influences, the children began by exploring the use
of
compasses to create concentric circles. Once that was achieved they tried to introduce the inclusion of
other shapes such as squares, diamonds or triangles onto the circles.

They then began to plan how they were going to represent their own ideas and beliefs symbolically. Thus
began another layer of exploring the words they had used to describe themselves and deciding which
symbols or shapes were going to be used to best represent these ideas.

Many children used words written repeatedly around the circles, while many were very creative in
symbolizing their wonderments and questions about life with everyday symbols. The personal journey they
took to complete this work demonstrated a willingness to reflect, ask questions of selves and really
think about whom they are. For many it was a revealing and challenging task. Using black fine liners
allowed the children to work with great attention to detail. This medium allows children to explore the
many possibilities of mark making in a very sophisticated and effective way. They discovered that
repeated marks made close together produced darker and denser tones, producing the fascinating results
that came about.

Working at Level 4 of VELS the children were able to work independently to plan and execute a very detailed
piece, one that reflected an understanding of traditional beliefs but produced in a contemporary way.
They communicated a variety of ideas about themselves while incorporating the influences that have
contributed to their journey. Explaining the reason for some of the choices in their work was an
important step in the process. It helped them to verbalise and reflect more deeply on whom they are and
why they have chosen particular shapes and symbols. Many children were able to identify and describe
the influences on their own work. Stories flowed easily, stimulated by the sharing of ideas.

The results are beautifully detailed and graphically exciting pieces that draw the viewer to come closer
and ask questions.

Nathalie Fraser
School of the Good Shepherd
Gladstone Park
Suitable for Level 4