What’s it all about?

Get Arty! is about getting school children of any ability involved in fun art activities – inspiring and educating them through the joy of creativity.

It's also about helping to raise vital funds to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of people with a learning disability , their families and carers.

This new project, developed with AccessArt, experts in art education , ­has a simple aim: to get children enthused about art and more accepting of "difference" – and in particular, learning disability – inside and outside of the classroom.

Why we’re ‘Getting Arty!’

Everyone is unique in their own special way: whether it be through their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, appearance or personality. These are the things that make us who we are.

Children can sometimes find it difficult to understand these differences and we believe that Get Arty! will help break down barriers and teach children important values that will encourage their acceptance of others.

Get Arty! offers an opportunity to help children aged 5-11 better understand what a learning disability is and how it may affect someone.

All we ask is pupils please donate £1 each to Mencap to take part in Get Arty! so we can help support even more people with a learning disability.

I want to Get Arty!

Sign up to get all the Get Arty! resources you need to get your pupils involved in fun art activities.

This includes lots of cool arty activity and lesson planning ideas!

Remember, just £1 from each pupil taking part can help change the lives of people with a learning disability their families and carers.

Sign me up!
Two schoolchildren sat together working on a craft activity

How to take part

It's easy to take part - just register with us and you'll receive a free Get Arty! pack, which includes:

  • art activities that are fun and easy to deliver
  • lesson/assembly plans that you can adapt to your school’s needs
  • resources to teach children about learning disability – including a PowerPoint presentation
  • various other creative and fundraising ideas that can be delivered in your school

Alternatively, you can phone us on 020 7696 6946 to let us know that you'd like to take part and we'll send a pack to you by post.

Sign up now

Get Arty! can be delivered as a whole school day, in an assembly, or individual teachers can run it in classes or in art club. It’s very flexible – Get Arty! can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be.

What you'll receive

Once you've signed up for the Get Arty! pack you'll receive loads of excellent resources including lesson and assembly plans, posters, stickers and activity packs.

The pack will include 3 fantastic activity packs, created by AccessArt, which cover how to make a number of creations which we think pupils will enjoy.

Take a look at the first activity guide below, which shows how to make finger puppets:

Painting

Take a peek at the first Get Arty! activity

This pack is for activity number 1 - finger puppets.

It sets out all the stages of the activity, including learning outcomes and links to the curriculum.

Download resource

Complete our sign up form to receive the rest of activity packs and more Get Arty! resources.

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Get your Get Arty! wristband

Show your class or even your whole school's support for Mencap by requesting our new Get Arty! 'celebrating difference' wristbands.

Collect £2 from your classmates for each wristband worn and put this money towards your fundraising total for Get Arty!

Email us at community.fundraising@mencap.org.uk and let us know how many wristbands you'd like and we'll send them to you along with a fundraising kit. 

Order now

How you'll be making a difference

By taking part in Get Arty!, your school can help Mencap change the world. Help us raise awareness of learning disability and funds for a fairer and more equal society. 

Although we only ask for £1 from each pupil, the more money your school raises, the more Mencap can do to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of people with a learning disability, their families and carers.

There will be lots of cool fundraising ideas in the Get Arty! pack, or alternatively, visit our Schools fundraising page on our main website  for more information.

Two children in classroom holding art projects they have made.

How to pay in any money you raise

There are a number of simple ways for you to send any money you raise through Get Arty! to Mencap:

About AccessArt

AccessArt facilitates high quality visual arts workshops and events to a wide audience and shares the outcomes in an evolving collection of high quality, inspirational teaching and learning resources.

AccessArt helped shape the Get Arty! concept and developed the art activities that you will find in the Get Arty! pack.

Visit www.accessart.org.uk, for more information.

Access Art logo

Get Arty! in action

Take a look at how some Year 3 pupils at Lamberhurst Primary School in Kent got in when taking part in Mencap's Get Arty! project.

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