[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="40389,40387,40388"] Munawarunnisa Nazneen Saudi Gazette "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see....." One of the best practices of the last decade at Al Waha International Junior School, Jeddah is the Art Competition "Different Strokes — Mother and I". Mother and child are paired up to spend time together in a fun filled environment. It was heart-warming to see eager mothers and their animated grade 1 children on the artistically decorated Junior School grounds. Art teacher, Ms. Alima Ali creatively articulated the bond between mother and child in vibrant colors when she planned the decor on the grounds. Mrs. Regina Ashraf, senior supervisor of Junior School, welcomed the gathering and the judges giving them an overview of the event. Ms. Intesar (Senior Art teacher, Manarat International School) and Mrs. Sara (KG Coordinator, Al Falah International School) agreed to judge the competition. Mrs. Ashraf explained the purpose behind this event saying, "You do not need to be artistic or creative in order to participate in this event, what's important is creating a piece of art together. This event was never about winning prizes and gifts; rather it was about spending quality time together, using the medium of art." Taking the children on a fantasy ride, the Supervisor Mrs. Vaseema Baig then amused the children with a very special story about the lollipops that went missing and were later found stuck in the rainbow. The children were thrilled to find their lollipops mounted on a rainbow. Each lollipop provided little bits of information about art which the children could read as they enjoyed their candy. The competition began right after Ms. Alima read out the general instructions and guidelines to the participants. The mother and child team remained engaged, cutting, painting, sticking, exchanging ideas together, even as the judges walked between the tables to observe. The judges, Mrs. Sarah and Ms. Intesar were fascinated to see the various creations and the innovative ideas that were taking shape. The variety of materials used ranged from sponges, foam boards, barbeque sticks, socks, ropes, spray paints etc. Ms. Intesar said, "It is indeed a tough competition with so much good artwork produced with great effort." You could see different kinds of puppets — sock puppets, paper puppets, hand puppets etc., aquariums, treasure chests......and some amazing paintings. After their work, the children rushed to the Special Rainbow to collect their lollipops. Refreshments were served to participants. The competition was brought to an end with the distribution of participation certificates and Mehran gifts for the mothers, to appreciate their effort. A special draw took place, with Dukan generously gifting coupons worth SR 100/- for each lucky winner. This was followed by a bumper prize that is usually sponsored by Pioneer Books each. The Sponsors of the event were Mehran Spices, Igloo, Shaan Spices, Almarai, Dukan and Pioneer Books. Finally, the results of the competition were announced. The list of the winners included Ammar Adil & Juweria Mohammed, Maazin Samir & Ishrat Qadri, Mohammed Riza & Rabab, at the first , second and the third position respectively for the ‘Craft Category' and Zara Fatima & Nikhat Fatima, Duha & Fasiha and Khalid Christopher & Rizwana for the ‘Painting Category'. Special Prizes were given to Usman Shaikh and Shafia Irfan, Bilal Riyaz and Seema Hamed. The mothers were invited to pen down their thoughts about the event on the graffiti board. "There is nothing like art to understand our kids. So we are very thankful for giving us a colourful moment," exclaimed Yewale's Mom. "Thank you so much for inviting us in this wonderful and memorable event. Me and my child Yuaan enjoyed a lot. It was fun and good time with my child in school. Looking forward to more such events!' said another. "Wow! I didn't know I can paint. Thanks for helping me and my daughter discover our love for painting," applauded a mother.
