Earlyarts Update from Australia
Friend of Earlyarts Rachel Riggs from Imaginary Leaps – DNA puppetry and visual theatre company writes to us from Australia ...
August 2011
The Imaginary Leaps with Better Beginnings Sessions at the State Library have been a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with early literacy initiatives for under 5’s. Using the stimulus of original Australian children’s book illustrations from the Peter Williams Collection, each session is a themed journey with specially created adventures and journeys. Take a look at the blog for lots of info and images with stories, music, puppets, shadowplay and making artworks.
http://dnapuppetry.wordpress.com/
REmida collects industrial waste discards from shops and factories around Perth, and makes these materials available to schools, childcare centres, artists and families. They run workshops for schools and festivals and run professional development workshops for teachers about how to use recycled materials in the classroom. They aim to encourage children and adults to think creatively about waste materials. Last month, they commissioned me to design a new early years specific space using reclaimed materials, and with a functional but imaginative use. Ive worked with a circular theme, which can be overlaid with many different themes for future workshops.
For the past few months, Ive been puppeteering and work shopping on an Artist in Residence Sensory Awareness collaboration with Barking Gecko children’s theatre company , in school, here in Perth. It has been a very challenging and rewarding experience, learning about Conductive Education, Aus. sign language, working with Aided Language Displays, and generally creating multi sensory theatre and activities for PMLD children. Carson St school is unique in that it has the states only Conductive Education programme for children with motor disabilities and critically, an Early Intervention programme. So it is very fitting, that the first sensory work for PMLD children should be made in collaboration. I have also been able to have the chance for my own professional development in working with a team of multi disciplined artists, setting up a new sensory theatre company and developing experience with PMLD early years children, carers and parents. For full details see the blog
http://carsonst.weebly.com/artists-in-residence.html
Imaginary Leaps UK is launching a new extension to the play session programme with visual arts, music and movement, with a free professional creative training day available with multiple bookings. Check out www.imaginaryleaps.com and email contacts for more information.
DNA/ Imaginary Leaps UK are also in development for a new show called ‘Cloud Child’ for under 5’s.
May 2011
Recently I was invited to attend the WA Governors reception at Government House in Perth, (the Queens representative) to acknowledge and thank Perth artists and arts companies. I felt very privileged to attend as I am relatively new in town and took the opportunity to talk to Minister for the arts and culture, John Day about the lack of creative arts projects for early years. I discussed with him at length, the Imaginary Leaps programme and its methodology, engaging families with young children in a process driven, child led, free play programme. A lot of projects over here have been traditionally based around a crafting activity and very structured, so in conversation, I was inviting him to understand how open play creative engagement was beneficial to developing the imagination and intelligences. A month later I received a letter from the Minister giving me further contacts to develop projects and a letter of support and endorsement for this work. A breath of fresh air from the bureaucratic system! See blog post:
http://dnapuppetry.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/ministerialpraise/
Imaginary Leaps is growing leaps and bounds over here with programmes due to run with the WA State Library in Perth and with Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, Fremantle, as well as being part of the Awesome Children’s Festival later this year. At the library a few weeks ago i was able to attend a training session on making instant book’s with children and their families to tell their stories. They are then copied and printed out, and displayed in a book cubby for everyone in the community to share and see. There are never ending possibilities and my blog post below gives some idea of how this project (part of the Better Beginnings for literacy development), empowers parents with young children and communicates with a visual pictorial language as well as text.
http://dnapuppetry.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/better-beginnings/
I also recently attended workshops exploring Sensory Awareness workshops with Barking Gecko children’s theatre company and multi disciplined artists from WA. It was a great opportunity to skill share and exchange ideas, as well as meet people with a focus on creating this kind of specialized work for special needs children. There were of course many similarities with early years creative practice and engagement, so it enabled myself to play and explore further potential materials and themes, fully experiencing the senses every step of the way with a huge hands on resource kit available. Lots of images and information at the DNA/Imaginary leaps blog :
http://dnapuppetry.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/sensory-awareness-workshops/
‘Imaginary Leaps’ Early Years creative play sessions at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
It’s been a fantastic 6 weeks researching and developing how families with young children can engage and feel comfortable within the gallery spaces.
Main points in evaluation feedback included-
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How much more confident parents/carers were to explore the galleries after they were introduced through the project to the main spaces.
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How a repeated routine in their own unique area with the same songs & rhymes at the opening and close of each session every week helped the children feel secure.
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How further documentation of the children’s learning journeys, with photographs, pictures drawn & painted by the children on display from week to week in their own gallery validated and confirmed their art was equally as important as the work of professional artists.
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More physical and literal interpretations of the movement and shape of the artworks would aid the children’s understanding.
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Gallery Educators felt much more confident to work with early years particularly 3-4yrs in groups of 10 children. However, it was felt under 3’s needed a separate session, as some of the concepts were more understandable for the 3-4yrs engagement.
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Children spoke about the sessions often at home and engaged in further activities inspired by the Imaginary leaps sessions.
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Parents comments included-
‘I loved the connection to the collections. I feel that the more we came, the more relevant the session was to Ida. She became more comfortable. By the 6th session we had hit a stride.’
‘Delighted to be involved and would definitely come back’
‘The most engaged I've seen him with a program’
For lots more information on the AGWA programme sessions see http://dnapuppetry.wordpress.com/
Due to the success of the project, funding is being sought from the Department of Culture and Arts to write a full evaluation report to share as an example of good practice, as well as raise private sponsorship for further early years programmes next year.
After a meeting with the Jane Mitchell, Senior Policy Officer, Development and Strategy for Young People and Education, at the Government of Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts, to discuss Early years cultural engagement in the arts. I was invited to attend ‘Mapping the Future’ – a National conversation meeting hosted by Lenine Bourke, executive director of YPAA Young People & the Arts Australia, a member of ASSITEJ International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People.
It seems there is little initiative for W.A artists and theatre makers to create work specifically for the early years age group. When I posed the question at the meeting, “Why does your company not create work for under 5’s?
Responses included –
- Under 5’s are all playing sport with their parents.
- This age range isn’t interested in theatre
- That two W.A children’s theatre companies include age 4, in their general up to 11years shows age range, which is enough.
The Department of Culture and Arts funding for Young people covers from 0-26 years! The dominant applications are always for the junior age group and then young people. The Dept. intends to map current activity and hold an Early Years consultation next year in line with the new Early Years Framework. It seems to me, that until specific funding is directed at early years arts, projects such as ‘Imaginary leaps AGWA’ are very new on the overall arts radar here, and a new initiative in this direction would do much to develop theatre for the very young here in WA
Arty Tots at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth with ‘Imaginary Leaps’ Early Years creative play company
This winter’s exciting news from Australia, is that ‘Imaginary Leaps’ has inspired a new programme of visual arts and theatre play sessions is to held from August at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
‘Imaginary Leaps’ creative play aims to aid development and emotional intelligence, and acts as a communication tool, between AGWA artworks and their future audience.
This pilot project opens the doors to families with young children to explore the art gallery with specially created adventures and activities investigating the themes of the artworks.
I am so looking forward to playing with objects, materials and puppets with WA families. The children will lead the way developing mark making, playing in paints, mapping the gallery with stick on coloured cut-outs, exploring shadow play inspired by Patricia Piccinni’s exhibition ‘RELATIVITY’ and a cardboard city installation are all planned for sessions!
I am going to be researching and developing how families with young children engage with the space and what can be done so they feel comfortable bringing pre schoolers into the AGWA environment.
‘Perhaps the world is fine tonight?’2009 Patricia Piccinni
Rainforest Installation at Bentley School
Year 1 have finished making masks, animal sculptures, bromeliads, and many other things for their Rainforest and a grand opening was held before the holidays with parents and friends invited to a celebration party with a very special guest.
For lots of images and further information see:
http://dnapuppetry.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/rainforest-celebrations
Being closer to nature here and the dilemma with children’s access to instinctive play outside has inspired me to create a series of ‘Nature Child Images’. See here
A few months ago, I was able to attend a lecture by Richard Louv at a packed out Perth International Concert Hall. After a very moving speech by the Noongar Aboriginal elders of the area, connecting us all with the spirit of nature, Louv talked about his book, ‘Last child in the Woods’ in which he identifies how children are missing out on engaging with nature because they spend more hours inside. He calls this ‘nature deficit disorder’ and his book outlines the disconnection between many of today’s children and nature. ‘Leave No Child Inside’, part of the USA Educational reform, has become an international movement and is currently being established in Australia. He believes that we are in danger of losing our life long relationship with nature and that children need to have a special place, somewhere wild and free, that stays in your heart as an adult.
‘Unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it’
He talked of how over the last 20-30 years we are experiencing a sudden disconnection with nature, particularly with the issue of child and nature parallel with independent playtime.
In 1999-200, in the USA there has been a 50% decline in outdoor activity, the UK 40% decline.
‘Today kids are aware of the global threats to the environment – but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature, is fading. That’s exactly the opposite of how it was when I was a child’.
At preschool in the USA he states, children spend 89% of their time doing sedentary activities, and obesity has of course dramatically increased. There are huge rises in myopia in children from looking too much at screens. He asks what are the implications for our children’s health, mentally, emotionally and physically?
Research shows the greener the neighbourhood, the lower the obesity levels. Its a moral case fundamental to our childrens health and humanity. What happens if it’s not considered normal to build dens? Children need the experiential learning of sensing nature - looking at stars, skies, running in woods and forests. In nature, using all our senses is the optimum state of learning. Unfortunately, screens lock off some off our senses.
For children with Attention Deficit Disorder, regular contact with nature really helps them. Studies in the UK show how much nature therapy can work. How much is the increase in anti depressants to small children and suicide in teens due to taking nature away? Recent research studies, funded by pharmaceutical companies, compares how children who play in a natural space rather than a concrete playground are found to be smarter learning with more make believe play.
‘Executive function is all about self control, the best way to develop is through make believe, independent play, exploring making reality.’
Research shows 7 year olds today, have the executive function of a 5 year old from previous research. And it’s not all about nostalgia, for all our human history and development – we have played and worked in nature. The owner ship of land which has nothing to do with money, it is as in the Aboriginal belief sense of knowing, of being rooted to this land, this gives a sense of place and tells you, you are somebody in the universe.
Can we turn it around? Evolution, computer technology, trouble getting off the internet, have we lost our sense of balance?
Hi Tech = Hi Nature
Hypothesis-as a species we are hardwired to love nature, we must be careful how we talk about the environment to children, it is not all negative. Adults need to be enthusiastic about nature, even if children complain about being outdoors. Be hopeful about the future, or we are in danger of ‘Eco phobia’ we are telling them we are heading to natures Armageddon.
The idea of loosing nature is too painful, any culture/movement will fail, if we don’t paint a picture we can see. There are parents and teachers now who don’t have this experience of a special place with nature. Risk is a very important part of the attraction of nature and if children don’t take those risks they take bigger ones later. They need to be freely able to build dens and homemade swings on grass verges and unused land. And it’s not just about organised sports, it’s the ability to experientially learn from water, wood, earth . New social mechanisms are needed including family nature clubs, getting together for deep cultural ongoing change. Fear of nature is growing, access isn’t enough, this issue of risk, is comparative perhaps even an bigger risk to children psychologically to not be involved in nature.
For lots of images and further information visit here.
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