Participants will:
- Colour in and paste little fish to recreate the iconic union graphic
Participants will develop:
- Knowledge that we are stronger together
- Colouring, cutting and sticking skills
- Co-operative and collective attitudes
Materials
Cardboard mural wall (see below), template fishes to colour in,scissors, crayons/pens/paints, PVA glue and spreaders.
Before you start
Prepare cardboard mural wall (see below). Set out template fish,scissors, art materials, glue and spreaders at tables.
What to do
You will need a large rectangle of cardboard, which can either be prepared in advance or in the session. On the large sheet of paper, draw a huge predator fish, large enough to fill one half of the rectangle of cardboard. Cut the fish out, turn it over and draw a fish on the other side, facing the other way. Blutack the fish onto the left side of the cardboard rectangle, so the fish is facing the right side. Explain to participants that they will need a whole shoal of little fish to scare off the big predator.
The rest of this short session can be spent colouring, cutting and sticking the small fish onto the right side of the cardboard rectangle, until there is a large enough shoal to scare away the predator fish, at which point you can turn around the predator fish so it is not chasing the small fish but rather running away.
Whilst the participants are colouring, cutting and sticking their fish, you can use the opportunity to spark a discussion about cooperation and collectivism. For younger children, this may be asking them to describe their little fish and how they might feel about the big fish chasing them. Then, why they think the big fish might be scared away when the little fish gather together and what lessons this has for us – linking to cooperation as a Woodcraft value. With older participants, this may be a discussion about the role of trade unions, collective strength and how we change society.
The original big fish / little fish image was created by communist artist Ken Sprague. You can find out more about Ken at