Workshops for children and families at Llanover Hall and Wales Millennium Centre this summer. Participants learnt how to fold a little book in which to write and illustrate a story. Some children came with ideas for their story: a brother and sister brought along their favourite toys to be the protagonists, and one girl knew … Continue reading Little Books
Children’s Storytelling and Art Course
Dragon Bloom and Other Magical Tales
The after-school Creative Writing and Art course at Llanover Hall finally started again on Thursday after months of lockdown with three new participants and three returning, aged between 8 and 11. A while ago, a friend (see her blog here), showed me how to make an eight page mini book, and it was great to … Continue reading Dragon Bloom and Other Magical Tales
Freedom: Cynefin – Week Three
Week three of working with Year 4 and 5 children on the ACW Cynefin project. We had planned to go on a walk to Penllwyn Manor, a local house that was know until recently as the Penllwyn Arms. It was built in the 16th century by Thomas Morgan of the infamous Morgan Family of Tredegar. … Continue reading Freedom: Cynefin – Week Three
Mentoring Role
A student from the BA Creative and Therapeutic Arts course based in Treforest is joining my class for the next twelve weeks, and as his mentor, I will be overseeing 14 sessions that he has planned and facilitated. As the student is a visual artist, his first session was based around his own practice, which … Continue reading Mentoring Role
Animating the Aliens
On the after-school Storytelling and Art course at Llanover Hall, the children decided to create a theatre out of cardboard. As our theme for that week was Sci-fi, everyone made alien characters to star in the show. On the first week, the parents got a preview of act one, with one boy being narrator, others … Continue reading Animating the Aliens
Elves and Trolls
Exploring the amazingly magical Iceland this week on the Children's Storytelling and Art Course, where an elf expert is consulted before routing a new road through rock piles that may be elf habitats, and trolls are everywhere in the landscape if you know where to look. Ghost Mazes by George and Caius, and poltergist … Continue reading Elves and Trolls
Chimeric Collages
Travelling back in time to Ancient Greece this week, the children of the Storytelling and Art course heard about the many chimeric creatures that inhabit the myths: Minotaur, Satyr, Harpy, Sphinx, and Chimera. Inspired, they created their own hybrid monsters, cutting up old magazines to produce these fantastic collages.
Windows on the World
In their passports, participants of the Storytelling and Art from Around the World course inserted a picture of themselves as a character of their choosing complete with name, magical attributes, and planet of origin. Using coloured acetates, windows were made to look in upon various characters created in response to folk stories. This week: … Continue reading Windows on the World
Natural Abstracts
Some stunning paintings made in response to two stories from Africa today on the Children's Art and Storytelling course that I am running at Llanover Hall Arts Centre. 'Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky' - a Nigerian folktale, and 'The Lion's Whisker' - an Ethiopian Folktale. Elements by Jim age 9 … Continue reading Natural Abstracts
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave
For the last week of this five week cycle of storytelling and art from around the world, we travelled to Russia to hear about the enigmatic Baba Yaga. She is a many-faceted figure, variously seen as a Moon, Death, Winter, Earth Goddess, totemic matriarchal ancestress, female initiator, or archetypal image.[4] After discussing some of Baba … Continue reading Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave
