“CREATIVITY IS AS IMPORTANT AS LITERACY.”
– Sir Ken Robinson
A review series for Night Zookeeper: PART 2
Have you an arty little learner who simply can’t seem to get their ideas down on paper? Do they stare at a blank page and wonder where to start? Maybe your little learner can visualise their characters but can’t find the words? Perhaps when asked to write a story, they simply draw a blank altogether?
Night Zookeeper might help your child to create before their write. They have even found where they fit in with the Art & Design curriculum too!
We have included an affiliate link to Night Zookeeper as an associate we may earn from qualifying subscriptions.
Just to add, that we became an affiliate with Night Zookeeper after I had already bought a subscription as I’d been wowed by what it has to offer and the difference it made to my little learner.
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Engaging A Reluctant Writer Through Art
I referred to Tutee O in last week’s instalment of this review series; my very intelligent learner who refused to write for varying reasons until I introduced him to Night Zookeeper. The boost in confidence and willing was huge and what did it all stem from? Creating his own character as an image before any writing began. Simple right? A fluke? A one-off?
I also mentioned Tutee S last week. He was another who would put up a battle with his home remote learning over lockdown and whilst he was willing to write for me in our sessions, he did seem to begrudge it after a short time each session. Never wanting to make my sessions a chore for my tutees, I knew where to turn.
Tutee S is a current student and it’s wonderful to see his excited expression each session as soon as we log in.
Getting Arty
Night Zookeeper is helpfully accessible across all devices via their website. In my sessions with my students, they can take control of my screen via Zoom to create their own masterpieces. Tutee S uses a Chromebook, which sadly means he is unable to gain control of my screen (though there is an upload option which I mention shortly). But this isn’t a drawback in this case. This means:
- He has to create an image in his head, or draw it on paper, so developing his writing muscles with mark-making without writing at that point.
- Then he explains to me what I need to draw on his behalf. Positional language, adjectives and all sorts of other vocabulary are shared in these moments.
- He is so eager to create himself, that is regularly logs in to his account outside of our tutoring sessions. Not only does he create unique creatures, but also engages with the writing tasks independently too!
- I love that we can revisit any work he does independently to celebrate, laugh and edit as needed. I can quickly find key words or spelling patterns that we need to practise without him feeling any embarrassment at making mistakes.
Reduce That Screen Time And Keep Arty
Just because my other students and my daughter can create on the computer or tablet etc. directly, doesn’t mean we don’t get the art gear out to get arty before creating creatures sometimes. My little girl loves to create the habitats too which helps her come up with more details about her creations too.
My and I have gone on walks to hunt out our next creature too. Fresh air and imaginations switched on!
How Easy Is It To Use And Get Arty?
The tools are so easy to use. There’s a simple but varied colour palette and an option to mix colours too to help create other shades and depth in your art. You can draw lines of varying thicknesses and to stop from spending a gruelling amount of time ‘scribbling’ there is a ‘shape mode’ so you can fill solid shapes with colour easily. Undo, redo, restart and erase are as you would expect. There’s also an ‘upload’ button if you have a photo, digital creation or copy of one of your wonderful paintings that you’d like to include. This is great for children who find art a little daunting or frustrating. You can then use the drawing tools to edit that uploaded image if you wish.
I stumbled across this YouTube video made by Night Zookeeper themselves that explains and demonstrates each feature really well.
They get the joy of creating their own characters and creatures and have a sense of ownership over them before joining them on an exciting adventure in their writing.
There’s Something Else In It For You Too!
If my students’ journeys inspire you to try Night Zookeeper out for yourself, click for a 7 day free trial (affiliate link). If you find you love it, like me, you get a whooping 52% discount off of your annual subscription too with the same affiliate LINK. What have you got to lose?
I highly recommend it as a teacher, a tutor, a writer and a parent too!
What’s Next On Our Night Zookeeper Journey?
Join me next week, where we start to see what writing opportunities our zookeepers and their creatures can embark upon.
Looking for fun spelling activities to try in the meantime? Check these out.
