EVEN the sun is wearing shades and a cool hat. The small plane, towing a streamer, casts no shadow on the rippling water where the children are swimming. It's midsummer and the beach is liberally endowed with sandcastles, sun umbrellas and children eating ice cream cones and hamburgers.

This idyllic scene is soon to be rudely disrupted as real children smear grout over the mosaic, squashing it between the small coloured tiles. Across the plastic clad floor, at another table, spring is also in the final stages of production. A kite floats, untethered, above the green fields where the lambs are playing. Here, grouting is also in progress.

Autumn is only beginning and winter has yet to make it to the drawing board. The children of Kentstown National School in Co Meath are making mosaics, under the watchful eye of local artist Heather Buchanan.

"Only use one finger to take up the grout," Buchanan cautions. Blissfully ignoring her, most of the pupils plunge both their arms in, covering themselves, their uniforms and the floor with grout. Only one small girl stands aloof. She doesn't like the lucky feel of the grout and, no, she didn't stick any of the tiles on. That was messy too. Ian, a clear winner in the messy child of the day competition, laughs.

Messiness aside, mosaic grouting is not without its hidden dangers. Alan has cut his hand on the edge of a sharp tile and the blood welling up makes him an instant object of interest.

Third class, and some of second class, are putting spring together. Summer is fourth class's production while fifth, and some fourth class are engaged on autumn and first and second class have yet to start winter. Sixth class is engaged on a separate project - making, painting and varnishing colourful clay tiles.

The school got a £1,200 grant from the Arts Council, explains principal Maura Beggy. This pays for Buchanan, who has visited the school each Monday since mid-January. An additional £500 for materials was paid jointly by the board of management and the parents' association. Some parents are also helping out.

It's an ambitious project for a small rural school with six teachers and 144 pupils. However, Beggy is obviously delighted with the results.

The quality of the three murals in progress is excellent - they are bright, colourful and full of detail. The tiles, made by sixth class, each illustrating a letter of the alphabet, are equally good. But, what is even more exciting is the obvious enjoyment that the pupils are deriving from the process. Their designs are being translated into real works of art which will adorn the school for years to come.

The Arts Council hopes to provide funding for between 10 and 15 artist-in-residence-in-schools schemes each year. All schools, both primary and second-level, are eligible to apply.

Residencies usually last between six weeks and six months. The maximum grant per residency is £1,500; this is chiefly to cover the artist's fees. Schools are expected to make a contribution to the residency. Closing date for application is October 26th.