Art with the kids

What does a devil look like? How do you paint a sacrament? How do you depict the life of a saint? Hundreds of years ago, artists did not have photographs, films or selfies to express what they wanted to say. To tell stories, they could only use their imagination. And that’s exactly what makes medieval art so accessible to children, and to anyone with a lively imagination.

To help young and not-so-young visitors along the way, M developed a do-booklet that they can use to discover the church. There is a version for children from 4 to 6, and one for the curious aged 7 to 99. The booklet takes you past eight works of art in the church. For each work, the booklet offers information suitable for children, questions and assignments to work out together. Among other things, you’ll discover ‘The Last Supper’ by Dieric Bouts, this Flemish master’s absolute masterpiece. But the impressive tower model, the mysterious mausoleum of Henry I and the intimate chapel of Proud Margaret also have a place on the route.

DJ, DANCE FLOOR AND DISCO BALL

All well and good, but what do the visitors themselves think? Elke and her daughter Lena-Marie (9) explored the family route with the booklet (version 7 to 99 years old) in hand. Ladies, was it a success?

Elke: “I live in Leuven, so I had walked past the church many times. Yet it took a long time before I stepped inside. During the opening weekend I went to the preview, and I wanted to come back with Lena-Marie.”

Lena-Marie: “The booklet contains a lot of nice assignments. I thought the most fun was: What would you do if you got the key to the church? I thought: celebrate my birthday with a DJ, a dance floor and a disco ball. Because it’s my birthday in February, and then it’s too cold for a party outside.”

Elke: “I was pleasantly surprised by the creative development of the route. Children really need to use their imagination and think along with what-if scenarios. And in addition to that, some sleuthing and drawing: a lot of fun to do together.”