Primary School: Outdoor Building
During 2011 to 2012 I was asked by Woodside Primary School in the Midlands if I could make some outdoor instruments in their extensive grounds. Joined by colleague Matt Shaw (3D artist and sculptor) we were commissioned to build some large-scale instruments and to lead a couple of sessions with children and teachers to demonstrate their use which included using resources themselves to build temporary structures.
We also ran a session where some parents came and made drums with us.
We worked with the reception class teacher not only to develop the main outdoor instruments but to explore ideas for the outdoor area accessible to them which was in a different part of the school.
In the following year we were invited back to extend the school’s outdoor learning provocations by designing and building a large structure incorporating sounds, water-exploration, textures and other sensory stimuli, and including the idea of space for role-play and story-telling around and within the structure.
This became a ‘TheVERYidea’ project involving our two colleagues Barbara Jones (visual artist) and Louise Bardgett (movement artist) who led some family and class sessions using the new outdoor structure as well as helping staff develop indoor-outdoor resource kits.
