I will never forget how shocked I felt when, having volunteered in my children's school to run art activity groups, several eight year olds declared loudly 'I'm no good at art, Miss!'. I thought: 'Who told you that? You are too young to feel like this!'. The sad thing was that they were all very keen to join in, attracted by the display of bright collage materials, paints and crayons, but the feeling of 'being no good at art' definitely held them back, making them hesitate. Not long ago, they would have all crowded around the table, confident in their ability to make messy and exuberant artworks full of stories and meaning: the fact that these would end up looking soggy and messy did not lessen their enthusiasm and enjoyment.
