THE VALUE OF SMALL THINGS

Working with young people, and very young children in particular, teachers, group leaders and other artists often shout about the value of working on large things. While I don’t dispute the excitement of big things and the value of changing scale and perspective, I find that little things have their own special delight and fascination

pirates set sail: A Tiny Treasure Island workshop for Buxton Opera House

life on board ship is fraught with dangers.....

I think children (and adults, if I do a miniature books, tiny stories or very small treasures workshop) love the intimacy and secrecy of the small. Small activities can call just as much intensity and creativity as something huge and sprawling. It might be less cooperative and communal (but then there is still a sharing of ideas and helpful fingers to hold a fiddly box or fix the undergarments of an awkward pirate.....)

a pirate in her treasure box, with flags

pirates - about 12cm tall.....

And Tiny! activities can give you Tiny! celebrations - so this year the Stone and Water team are back in Buxton Festival Fringe doing some Tiny! workshops with very small faeries, goblins and trolls. After Tiny! PIrates (2011) and Tiny! Lanterns (2010), who knows what delights, or horrors, some Tiny! Faerie Tales might bring!

small stories - a watchful wolf

small stories - a boy with a cardboard shield and a wooden sword sets off to find a troll

Illustrations here are from workshops for Buxton Opera House's Easter programme and from story-making workshops with Reception classes at Milton Hall Primary School, Westcliffe-on-Sea