CREATIVE CRAFT WORKSHOPS A few ideas for schools, communities and festivals---
All these workshops
are well tried and tested!
These are examples of some of the things we have made over the
last 30 years whilst working with children.
For all the workshop activities we provide the appropriate cardboard,
withies, bamboo, gels, rags, PVA, tape, string, paper, scissors,
staplers, etc. that are needed for ‘construction’ work
- plus any paint, felt tip pens, wax crayons, coloured chalks,
coloured stickyback plastic, ribbons, etc…needed for decoration.
NOTE: There will normally be an additional charge for materials,
but as much of what we use is recycled ‘scraps’ costs
will be kept to an absolute minimum.
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Banner
making (one to one and a half hours)
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Using pieces of wallpaper,
pre- cut to a basic shape which the children can then decorate
in whatever way they fancy. These can then be used for processions…or
just to hang on the wall at home! Simple…. but very effective
and popular. (Good for demonstrating the use of stickyback plastic,
coloured chalks/setting spray etc. and teaching simple layout and
decorative skills)
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| Banners - click
here for a larger image |
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‘Bamboozalums’. (about one and a half hours)
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We use a bamboo cane, a coathanger
(courtesy of M&S!), rags and card, to make a 1 metre
high ‘puppet’ figure.
(We often use the making of the heads to teach the technique of drawing with
a candle, then overpainting with a colour wash - magic!) |
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Bamboozalums - click
here for a larger image |
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Junk Puppets. (one hour minimum, up to a half day plus
performance time if needed). Various sizes of hand/rod puppets made from recycled materials…old
boxes/plastic bottles/material scraps etc….If there is sufficient
time we like to get the children to devise and perform one or more ‘plays’ using
all the characters they have made.
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Mini Theatres (Rod Puppets) (one and a half/two hours. Plus
performance time if needed). Small theatres made from a cut down cardboard wine case (supplied)
decorated by the children, who also make the rod puppets and interchangeable
backdrops to go with their theatres. (Similar to ‘Pollocks
Toy Theatres’)
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Odd-Bods (one and a half hours plus) Using large (child size) pre-cut cardboard body shapes
which they use to create their own individual ‘characters’.
We provide lots of material scraps  and other bits with which to
decorate/dress the bodies. The finished bodies can be used as a
basis for drama
work. A popular workshop which gives full rein to the imagination.
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Robots and Aliens (one and a half hour plus)
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Similar to the above - but
the shapes are even more outlandish!
We use lots of recycled control knobs, dials, wires and other junk
to make strange ‘beings.’ Another
popular activity.
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| Robots
from the planet Zog |
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Shadow Puppets (one
and a half/two hours. Plus performance time if needed), Another little theatre made from a cardboard wine case, this time
with a screen and shadow puppets……a good introduction
to this fascinating field. A chance to try out jointing moving parts
of a ‘flat’ puppet, using coloured gels/cellophane and
various lighting effects.
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Peep-shows (one and a half hours). We provide suitable boxes in which the children construct little ‘scenes’ using
figures and scenery made from card, wool, string, paper etc. They
can also include  moving creatures - beasties/fish/birds etc. - suspended
on strings/cams/rollers. The top is covered with tissue paper, lit
from above, then viewed through a peep-hole.
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Kites (one hour up
to a lifetime)!
Simple kite construction and decoration…various types….we
even have one design that simply uses a piece of paper and twine
with no wood or plastic rods….and it flies well too!
Younger children will need some adult help with stringing kites.
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Carnival/processional ( half day up to several days).
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Costume and music for processions
etc. Can be to a theme [we have done Greeks/Romans, Civil War, Pirates,
Underwater, Space etc..etc..] or just general colourful costume,
Withy Wavers, decorated spinning umbrellas - along with a home-made
percussion band - whatever is required! |
| Greeks
-click
here for larger image |
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Musical instruments from junk (one and a half to two hours
plus performance time). Making musical instruments that are playable…either as
melody instruments or as  percussion….from all sorts of scrap
materials. Then putting them all together as a ‘Junkestra’ for
a noisy performance!
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Scarecrows (one and a half hours).
Making small scarecrows (and crows!)
either with pre-cut card shapes or with bamboo/withies and straw.
Decorated with scrap material/rags.
Good for a themed procession etc.
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Large Withy Constructions
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Using withies (dried willow
rods) and bamboo to create large 3D structures….e.g. Dragons,
Animals, Insects, Fish, Birds etc.. which are then covered with poly.
sheet/rag tatters/ribbons. This activity can be done in school by
a whole class, divided into smaller groups of 5-6 children, who can
then each make a different thing. |
| Dykosaurus
head frame |
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involved in constructing large heads/bodies with a papier-mache type
covering…..this activity needs to be spread out over several
days/weeks to allow for drying time. To go with these we make long
cloth ‘bodies’ that up to twenty children can get under-
very effective for processions. |
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| Lockeater
- Click here for larger image |
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Mask making (one to two hours plus). We can make many different types…simple half masks, Venetian
Carnival, Animal masks, moulded masks using Mod-Roc (Plaster of
Paris material), large African style etc.. anything from very basic
designs up to quite skilful and time-consuming constructions.
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Other
things!
We have also made:
- Fitted Masks
- Animal Masks
- Withy Wavers for processions
- Mini Shadow Theatres
- Windsocks
- Plastic Bottle Birds
- Bunting
- A Green Giant + accessories
- Large
Shadow Puppets
- A huge
Time Machine built on a trailer
- A Chinese Dragon for 20 kids
- Several 16-24
person Spaceships
- A Bulldozer, Chainsaws, Axes etc.
- Masks, all
types
- Scarecrows and Huge Crows
- Roman armour, weapons, instruments
etc.
- Large Withy Animals
- Decorated processional umbrellas
- Boomerangs
- Animals from the Chinese horoscope
- Bug Hats
- Fairy
Wings/Wands/costume etc.
- Pig costumes
- Decorated hoops for pushchairs
- Paper aeroplanes
- Dragons/Beasties
(large)
- Drums and percussion
- Assorted hats
- Animals from straw/wool/string
- English
Civil War costume, weapons, etc.
- Garlands of withies plus
paper flowers
- Several 18-20 child Prehistoric Monsters
- A dozen 8-12 feet high
Giants
- Withy ‘Birds’ and
other flying ‘things’
- Ancient Egyptian
costume/mummies etc.
- Lanterns, various types
- Puppets for shadow
stories
- Border Morris dance costumes
- Paper Windmills
- A set of Planets.
Plus lots more we have forgotten!
Any suggestions for other workshops are very welcome.
Whatever you want we can probably make it - if not we’ll
learn!! |
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Sunshine Arts
