A five-day archaeological and ethnographic project titled “A Touch of the Past” took place in Kropyvnytskyi, bringing together about 100 children from internally displaced families to learn about and preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
Throughout the intensive program, the young participants gradually immersed themselves in various folk crafts: on the first day, the children mastered the needle-free technique of making motanka dolls and explored the language of colors in knotted amulets; on the second day, they learned to work at looms and wove their first pieces of fabric; on the third day, they mastered hand-molding clay pots, using a potter’s wheel, and creating intricate paper cutouts (vytynanky).
On the fourth day, using wax, egg-painting pens, and a candle flame, the children created colorful pysanky eggs featuring ancient solar symbols, and on the final day, they combined hands-on drawing of viburnum clusters using the Petrykivka painting technique with the study of authentic ancient ceramic artifacts during an interactive archaeological excursion.
These enriching activities provided the children with an opportunity to master new creative skills, as well as serving as an important step toward connecting with their roots and strengthening their national identity.