YOUNGSTERS at Sunninghill Preparatory School in Dorchester have been discovering the wonders of the Jurassic Coast in a special Olympic inspired project.

Children at the school have been getting involved with the National Trust’s Big Jurassic Classroom project with visits from local artists.

The initiative is aimed to celebrate this summer’s Olympic Games by teaching schoolchildren in Dorset about the World Heritage site, which is on their doorstep.

Sunninghill pupils from forms seven and eight received a visit from community artist Sarah Butterworth, with a session showing them how to make dinosaur-themed carnival headdresses.

A group of pupils was then invited to pay a return visit to Sarah’s workshop and find out more about her project to construct a life size model of a pliosaur, which will also double as a mobile cinema for children.

The project continued with a visit from artist Darrell Wakelam, who ran a workshop with form five children on fossils.

The whole school has also been working on a textile friendship quilt to celebrate the coming together of countries from around the world for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Each year group was tasked with investigating patterns from different cultures to use as inspiration for their designs, which will then be put together.

The school’s head of art and design Susan Saines said: “In almost every area of the primary curriculum there are many learning experiences that are initiated and reinforced visually.

“A great deal of thinking and learning has taken place in a relatively short time.

“Pupils had a great time, learning new techniques and skills, and above all they were inspired to find out more about the fossils that bejewel our coastline.”

The fruits of the pupils labour will be on show on Saturday May 12 when the school hosts and Open Morning from 10am to 12.30pm.