Creepy Crawlies... insect workshop

 I thought I would share with you a few of the insects that a year 5 group make with me this afternoon in a sculpture workshop.  We used pieces of driftwood, wire and old screws and nails.

 I was really pleased with how it went, and the insects they created were fabulous.  I'm looking forward to next weeks session with another group.

What do you think?

A trip out with the Fairy!

Today I took the opportunity to spend a few hours with my daughter... just the two of us... a rare occasion unfortunately!

I decided that I would take her into Preston to visit the Harris Museum and Gallery.  She loves visiting museums and is really interested in history (unfortunately the history exhibition isn't open until the summer!).

We had a lovely time wandering around looking at trinkets, teapots... 

... teacups...

... and fabulous tiles.

Unfortunately I couldn't take any photos in the Gallery which is a shame as there were some lovely pieces of work.  If you live in the area do pop along.  It a lovely way to spend an hour or so, and there are quite a few activities for children to do to help them interact with the pieces in the museum,but also it's really important that we support our local galleries and museums... once they are gone, they're gone!!

After our meanderings around the museum we headed off to Bruccianis.  A cafe that was created in the early 1930's, and hasn't changed too much since.  They don't appear to have a website, but there are some better images than the ones I managed to take here.  They are well worth a look, and if you grew up near to Preston and visted as a child, it is likely that you visited here and had ice-cream soda or milkshake floats... they used their own, very delicious ice-cream, which they have unfortunately stopped making.  It was funny going in the first time as an adult, and actually being able to have a good look around.  As a child you couldn't see from one end of the cafe to the other as there was always a thick smog from the smoke!  Although it's not the best food, or cup of coffee, you have to go for the experience!

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What have you done today?

I should be clearing out...but...

... I just wanted to share some of these with you.

I have been clearing out a load of old paperwork and it reminded me to have a look at some of the photos I had taken of the art work a group of children had done with me last week.

Last week I was in a primary school in Wigan doing some work, for Drumcroon Gallery, with a group of children.  We were creating a piece of work to go in the entrance hall with the theme community.  It was a church school, and the church plays an important part of their community, so some of the children did church related pictures, but I wanted them to focus mainly on the people within it so asked the majority of them to do portraits, and it is these that I like the most.  The work was done in paper (recycled magazines) and I'd asked them to use the paper as if it were tiles, like mosaics.  Here are a few examples of what they came up with.

 

I think that they have done a pretty good job, they will look great when they are put together (they are being pieced together to make a patchwork) and I had a lovely time working with them.