Thank You for your interest in our study and visiting our website. This study explores children’s perspectives, views and experiences of the pandemic through their voice. Children express themselves, share their thoughts and emotions through art and play. This study will collect children’s art through pictures and stories submitted on a website dedicated to the project with demographic information and words, stories or thoughts associated with the art work for Dr. Nikki Martyn and her team to explore the impact of the pandemic through the children’s expression of their experiences during this unique time. Once collected patterns and themes will be explored in the art work to understand the children’s experience through the pandemic. It is the researchers hope that the information collected will help our society understand the experiences of children during this time. What occurs during childhood affects the individual children throughout there lives as well as the course of history, generations are shaped by the people who live through events at the same time and developmental stage.

If your child and yourself are interested in participating or would like more information on the study (which has received ethics approval through the University of Guelph (20-05-018)). Please click on the Research tab in the toolbar at the top of this page. This will bring you to a video for children to understand the study as well as express their desire to share their art work. For the Parent, tab will provide you further detailed information and consent to allow your child to participate. Once you consent you will be invited to share your child's art work, words or stories as well as demographic information so we understand a little about the beautiful art your child is sharing.

The art work does not need to be specially created for this project, doodles, scribbles or drawings your children have completed during the time of the pandemic are all welcome. We are not concerned about being able to understand or see what is in the visual art work or it needing to look a particular way. Your child's name or information will not be collected for the study, it will be confidential and only your family will know the drawing is yours if you choose to have it displayed in the virtual gallery on this site. We would like to see any art work your child (from 2 years to 18 years old) would like to share with us, the content or style does not matter to us. Your child is also welcome to share their art work as frequently as they choose anytime they would like. If you or your child would like some inspiration we have shared some questions below. The only thing that matters to us is the expression of your child's voice.

We will be providing updates about the project on the website, please come back and visit us.

Thank you for your interest in this project,

Dr. Nikki