Fluttering by: Nairn BAF 2024

 

A flutter of wings

schools workshops, 

Nairn Arts Festival 2024

Environmental prediction: 

in the first week of September, 

there will be an explosion of unlikely invertebrates 

in the schools of Nairn
 

Bats and badgers,

gnats and gadflies,

waterboat men,

Wake up for the greatest day of all.

Ants and dormice

open your eyes

mobilize now!

get yourselves together for the feast and for the ball

"Get Ready", from The Butterfly Ball by Roger Glover

Nairn Book and Arts Festival

Festival dates: 31st August - 8th September 2024

School workshops: 2 - 6th September

Celebration: Sunday 8th September

 

Celebrating the diversity, vibrancy, importance and simple wonder of the smaller inhabitants of the area, schoolchildren will be talking about, thinking about, composing poems about and making butterflies, beetles and bugs, ladybirds, moths and earthworms. I am anticipating spiders and centipedes and possibly rainbow snails.

 

ants' nest hat

We can't be sure just what will appear as while I bring ideas and techniques, stories to hear, models to look at and pictures to work from, the final appearance of what we make will be up to our groups. There will be crowns (butterfly? bumblebee queens?). There may be ants' nests built on people's heads. There may be masks to give us beetle children or spider siblings

 

butterfly crown details

What we can be sure of is the sheer enthusiasm of those Nairn schoolchildren and the imagination and dexterity that goes into their work

 

And all in a moment, the Millbank Tree changed,

Growing apples instead of cakes,

Spreading shade instead of danger

Becoming a friend instead of a foe.

Now, The Millbank Tree grows in the school garden

And gives its apples for sunshine, raindrops and smiles

Millbank Primary School, tree poem, 2022

 

All of this then contributes to a parade on the final day of the festival where our swarm of assorted creatures will creep, crawl, flutter, slither and, most of all, dance behind a samba band while following stilt-walking Insect Monarchs from Fly Agaric Arts. We might manage a full-scale Butterfly Ball but we'll certainly have an Invertebrate Party! The parade will end with an afternoon of stories, activities and bee-friendly garden information
 

Insect mask

VOLUNTEERS WANTED

If you would like to help, I am hoping to gather a few volunteers who might help on one or more of the school days  (2 - 6th September 2024) and/or at the final parade (8th September)

 

While I lead activities, it is always good to have extra hands to help with twiddly bits and with extra knowledge about wildlife, or conservation, or wriggling like a millipede!

 

Ideally you will have a Disclosure Scotland basic certificate

 

If you'd like to be involved, drop me an email and we'll sort something out!

Email: creepingtoad@btinternet.com