Wednesday, 2 December 2015

Research, first Elizabethan inspired workshop Ideas

Research and Initial thoughts and ideas to propose to June


Tudor purses
Miniature portraits
Elizabethan theatre inspired making
Elizabethan masques 
Dream catchers
Art workshop flowers
Shadow box theatres
Drawing with light
Photography 

Tudor purses 



A simple activity using textiles would engage children in the theme and educate with regards to the times etc. 
Design sheets and objectives would be relatively simple and well managed.


Miniature portraits


Children would be encouraged to draw at real size, using measured drawing approaches. However we would then use the computer and coppers etc to shrink their drawings to this small size work and adorned by the people of elizabethan times.



Making a theatre

Perhaps show the children a short animation, or read a short illustrated story of " a midsummer nights dream"

some links:

childrens animation of midsummer nights dream

After watching the animations we can then go on to discuss:

Talk about the characters, who are their favourites, what do they remember most from the story? Is it the Donkey head, the fairies, the weddings, the flower etc
Do they enjoy the language being used? can they use it themselves?


Stage in a box

Individual boxes?

Group box?
create a stage set  based on a scene or environment that you remember from a midsummer nights dream?
make your favourite character, select pictures from a selection to stick in and create an appropriate box... either as a group or individually.
Make characters and we can stick them to a small (pre-made) stand so they can be propped anywhere in the box.
Or we could stick to lollipop sticks prop in bottom, or stick to thin sticks so can be controlled from the top of the box and can interact.




Stage frames


The same concept as above...

Children can select from a variety of imagery or objects and create pictures or characters etc that they remember from the story. 
Following this I propose that we arrange their pieces in box frames. lose artefacts, imagery and characters can be [reserved for life and mounted easily at school or at home. They may be more easily kept in this format. Yet would have a similar appearance to the stage box.



Shadow theatre

Developing on from the above Ideas, children could create a shadow box by making a simple card template, and using tracing paper as the back piece, one child could hold the light, another direct the puppets and the others watch and take in turns



Dream catcher

select an appropriate task out of a mix that I have developed e.g. flower/ink/washing, fairy colouring, character drawing, stars and moon sculpture/mashe/cutting from clay/moulding, representing the night...
during the session we can make the individual items.

these could then be presented by hanging on a horizontal mobile dreamcatcher, suspended from the ceiling...
either whole school can create one large one, or each group can make a smaller one.
I can create the actual piece, but the children create the "ingredients".
baring in mind there would be over 100 pieces, plus all the stars and moons etc, plus i can ask them to take home a pack and prepare or do some with family etc, this could be a beautiful piece.
with lights as stars, scrolls, fairies, characters, flowers, quills etc.




Love-in-idleness was the folk name for the wild pansy or heartsease (viola tricolour). In A Midsummer Night's Dream it was the basis of the elixir which fated Titania, Oberon's queen, to fall in love with Bottom.

Individual dream catchers to go along with the notion of hopes and dreams, midsummer nights dream etc 



Elizabethan Masques


We can make masks using papier mache, wire and fabric etc. Used commonly in the theatre and masquerade balls this project would provide insight into the notion of the surreal and embodying a character. etc


Display

Below is the image that June provided me with regards to the theme, in her opinion a wall like this would look nice in school and engage children with the theme.








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