The Chicken Cake Bird

The Holly Lodge Centre

Richmond Park

August 2017

birds in the bushes

And down in the woods, something stirred: or rather somethings: small birds, woodland lanterns, occasional pirates, treasure chests, more birds, nests and perches, pirate galleons we had them all during a week at Holly Lodge centre in Richmond Park

Working with children and young people with additional needs, with support groups and family networks, with life-limiting conditions and smiles, we had a lively week of activities

I think the poem we wrote with children from Knots Arts sums up the sense of adventure and inquiry and degree of silliness very well

"all of the children were raving about (the brilliant day) on the way home!
It was so lovely to just let them be able to play and explore " Knots Arts

printing: the growing landscape of the Park

LOOKING FOR BIRDS IN RICHMOND PARK

Come into the Park,
Across a big field,
Behind a big tree,
Look up into the sky
Into the clouds,
And there you might …
You might see some big, black Crows
Watching you.

Keep walking.

On the very edge,
Of the very end,
Next to the pond,
If you are lucky,
You might see Fury the Phoenix.

Keep walking.

When you get to the Centre,
Go outside, through the window
Climb over the house,
Walk between the yellow birds,
Carefully, carefully between the yellow birds,
Look in the leaves at the top of the tree
There you might see the Chicken Cake Bird.

And in the woods
You might hear,

A bird in a tree.
I followed that bird and found
An Owl’s House
When the Owl was sleeping.

Under the roof,
Under a bush,
Across the water,
I found some sticks and blackberries,
I found a fallen feather and some leaves,
And a fairy cup for the birds to drink out of.

And there I heard the birds talking,
Singing the Song of the Beautiful Nest.

“Wood and leaves and bark and berries,
Leaves and wood and really cool sticks,
Tiny green leaves and blackberries
Will make a beautiful nest”.

Holly Lodge Centre 21st August 2017
created by children 5 - 8 years old from Knots Arts during the Creeping Toad Arts Week of workshops, 2017

with many thanks to the young people, staff and families of Knots Arts; Me, You and Co; Crossroads and Momentum

Richmond Park

Isabella Plantation

Two weeks of workshops in the Park trundled to a close yesterday

Two weeks of exploring...

our 4 metre long leaf-string caterpillar

the caterpillar growing

pirates....

birds....

lanterns...

we started card lanterns last week....

one of our poly-birds inspects
 an almost-finished lantern

finished lantern

...and treasures

Thanks again to the Holly Lodge Centre and to all the groups who visited us during that times (some more than once!): Triangle Resource centre, United Response, Hounslow Extra Club, Merton Mencap, Kingston Fun Class, Hammersmith and Fulham Mencap, Acorns Group, and thanks, of course to the Holly Lodge Centre, Pat and all the wonderful volunteers; the Richmond Park Staff (especially Adam, Holly and Linden) and of course to the Park itself for its beauty, hospitality and wildlife!

Personal time found me enjoying isabella Plantation...

Down in the Park

I'm in the middle of a 2 week residency in Richmond Park. My relationship with the Holly Lodge Centre here is an old one - we reckon that I've probably led workshops on their "summer fun" programme for 10 out of the last 13 years, leading adults and children alike astray with pirates, treasures, puppets and printing. We've gone from making big flags and lanterns through various puppets and book-building to this year where we've been doing (more) pirates.

everything an adventurous
pirate might need

"Pirate" themes help us look at the nature trail here as a place where adventures might happen and we go off looking for resources our tiny pirates might use. We build them shelters, find them camps. We make them plastic-bottle boats to sail on the pond. Draw treasure maps inspired by the area we work in and collect natural treasures here for their chests of ill-gotten booty!


Other sessions have been drawing more directly from the Park, using leaf-rubbings and printing to give us patterned cards, cutting tree and insect silhouettes to work together to make card-lanterns. these aren't finished yet - groups returning next week for final stages....so more pictures to follow!

pirate camp

ready for launching

setting sail over wide, uncharted waters

our pirates came in many sizes

Richmond Park is full of wildlife 

leaf-rubbings 

enthusiastic printing 

I always think black-wax rubbings look the best

half-finished lanterns

Creepy Houses and Limestone Monsters

Mansfield Library: quiet, almost innocent

Wild, strange and dangerous days, these dog days of summer…As part of this year's Summer Reading Challenge, I've been doing workshops for Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Libraries making creepy houses and spooky landscape pop-ups. These have set out to inspire young people to tell us stories and to use the ideas they find in the books they read and apply these in other situations

So last Wednesday saw us creeping in Mansfield Library...

the tide starts to come in...

high tide, lots of people, lots of making!

a lovely selection of homes for the creepier customer

with your own burning room
and escape door (lower right)

fireworks!

Then Thursday, I was plunging again into our Carboniferous past and leading  workshops in Buxton Museum and Art Gallery as part of our Ancient Landscapes project. We were making puppets inspired by the animals of those prehistoric seas that gave us the limestone of the Peaks. A lot of creative license was exercised (not least over time periods and dates) and scientific presumptions challenged (how could anyone possibly know that trilobites were not rainbow patterned?)

Eurypterid in full predatory splendour!

a small, and rather dismal,
Boggart

Next Creeping Toad wildnesses

5th -16th August: summer residency at the Holly Lodge Centre in Richmond Park, Surrey: closed sessions not open for dropping in

20th August: more Spooky Towers and Creepy Houses: Aspley Library, 10 -12, Bilborough Library, 2- 4, Nottingham. Free, drop-in events - give yourself 45 minutes at least to make your pop-up spookiness

21st August: even creepier houses, this time in Mansfield Library: 10.30 - 12.30 and 1.30 - 3.30. Again, free, drop in activities but give yourself time to do the making

22nd August, Sherwood Pines Country Park: away with the fairies, goblins and trolls: lively storywalks! Details, booking and prices: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-98FBDY

29th August: Ogden Water Country Park: more faeries, elves, goblins and trolls: telling stories, making up new ones, finding evidence of terrible enchantments and wild adventures and making tiny goblin puppets to take home and upset the neighbours….Details, bookings and prices: http://www.ogdenwater.org.uk/whatson.php

Next Ancient Landscapes events:

Tuesday 6th August: Winnat's Pass Walk: exploring the millstone grits of the Dark Peak. Meet: Castleton Visitor Centre Car Park, S33 8WP, at 2pm. Walk 2 - 4pm, some steep slopes and off paved footpaths

Wednesday 7th August: Life in Ancient Seas at Leek PlayDay

Brough Park, Leek, 11 - 3: meet the Ancient Landscapes team and make your own finger-puppet fossils or ancient seascape

goblin yoga

Come and join in…or we'll send the trilobites round

Here, there and away again!

excitement, fun and investigation in the Park

Home again after a lively fortnight in Richmond Park, just to unpack the car, check in on the assorted beasts (fish, toads, newts, tadpoles and toadlets) gather my wits, pack a new bag and head off out to

farewell from Richmond wildlfie

‘From Apathy to Empathy –reconnecting people and place’with leading international and national experts in place-based education22^nd-24^th August, Kinvara, Co.Galway

I'll just quote from their bumpf:

Burrenbeo Trust is delighted to present its inaugural Learning Landscape Symposium programme . Titled‘From Apathy to Empathy – Reconnecting People and Place’ this unique event will bring together leading national and international thinkers and practitioners who specialise in the theme of place-based learning. Place-based learning encourages the use of the local environment as a learning resource. It immerses individuals in local heritage, culture and landscape, encouraging them to become more aware of their place.  The final version of this evolving programme will be posted up on the website before the event.

With 20 talks and interactive sessions, this symposium will have something for everyone. Leading experts from the States,David Sobel, Gregory Traymer, and from the UK Gordon MacLellan, Jane Stoneham, and Tony Kendle will be joined by Irish place based educators such as Michael Gibbons, Katy Egan, Sean McDonagh, John Feehan, Gordon D’Arcy, Cillian Roden, Nessa Cronin, Karen Till, Patrick McCormack, Eileen Hutton, Eugene Lambe, Pat Nagle and many, many more as they participate in workshops, on-site demonstrations as well as guided walks and cultural events. Participants will be immersed in one of the nation’s most inspiring places and challenged to engage fully with this place and the issues that impact on them, learning lessons and techniques which can be adapted to their own place and its needs.

Reports will follow!

home is also Streptocarpus flowers!

Deer, pirates and sinking ships

Summer in Richmond Park

walking to and from work has some amazing moments! Deer...



...ancient oaks



These days begin with a sunrise heralded by squawking parakeets and the clatter of jackdaws raiding the bird-feeder. Clouds are high in a pale sky and the early stillness promises warmth later. The walk into work is past ancient oaks, deer and woodpeckers with the towers of London appearing briefly down long views

adventurous pirates!

"Summer Fun" residency at the Holly Lodge Centre in Richmond Park. I've been coming here, on and off, for 10 years and more now to work, mostly, with special needs groups. This year we've been making little bottle lanterns and pirates, sailing pirate ships on the pond, building dens soft very small people, collecting useful things for adventures and looking for treasure

telling stories with pop-up theatres

But we always end up in a dilemma between what I think we could do, what carers think their charges are capable of either doing or understanding (I always reckon more than they do) and how activities re presented. I have to trust my instincts (and 30 years of professional experience) that how I work works even though I know some people do not like my style or manner. Finding the balance between listening to and respecting ideas and trusting those instincts is always a delicate one

precision and wonder

pirate ships afloat!

enjoying landscapes, finding treasures