Showing posts with label Special Needs activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Needs activities. Show all posts

Monday, 4 September 2017

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

Saturday, 17 August 2013

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...


Sunday, 11 August 2013

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