Need some inspiration to develop your project idea? Then you are in the right place. You can pick or mix from a selection of project ideas or check out what happened last year to get the creative juices flowing.

It is perhaps the biggest question in Big Arts Week. Which aspect of the arts do you want your project to focus on and what type of project do you undertake. Need some inspiration? – You’re in the right place.

5,000 schools throughout the UK took part last year and the variety of projects undertaken was astounding. Where artists could not be matched to a school, teachers showed typical ingenuity in either finding them locally, or creating their own imaginative programmes.

Children will often relate particularly well to activities that are local or topical. In previous years schools worked on Golden Jubilee, Olympic or World Cup themes, but other popular themes included:

School History
Many schools chose to base their project on a particular aspect of their school history, such as an emblem, local history or prominent individual linked to the school.
Animals – real or imaginary
Animals, real or imaginary, prove a great source of inspiration to springboard project ideas for all creative disciplines. Think about habitat, colour and interaction.
Monsters and legends
Monsters and legends form the basis for many children's materials - so just let the imagination run wild.
Other countries/ cultures
Other countries and culture can provide a diverse collage of interest, whether thinking about traditions, beliefs or the simple premise of respecting other ways of life.
Self portraits
The self portrait allows an exploration of how we view ourselves and each other. Don’t just think factual, there is plenty of scope to explore the abstract interpretation of self.

Here are a few project concepts that were undertaken. You can follow them to the letter, pick and mix, twist or reinterpret them as you choose. They're just a springboard for your creativity.

The poet-tree  
Coming up roses  
A stitch in time  
Friday night's all right, all right  
Master classes  
Command performance  
The South Bank Show  
Garden festival  
Get yourself online  

Alternatively, you can search through the myriad of other ideas that participants posted and stimulate a project based on these.