 Sports Hall - our 'Studio' for the residency  Alan Hockett taking a well-earned break | Artist Residency at Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School, Week #1 with fellow artist and collaborator, Alan Hockett. It's an early start to get to Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School for the start of the school day to meet year 5 and their teachers Louise & Sarah. As the crow flies Burnham is just ten miles or so across the River Crouch from where we're based. But we have to drive 23 miles in rush hour traffic and it takes us well over an hour! We are pleasantly surprised at the welcome we receive even before we're introduced to Eagle and Chameleon classes - lots of beaming smiles and "Hello"s as we navigate our way through the bustling, unfamiliar corridors to the Sports Hall where we are to meet the children. This bright airy space seemed perfect for the activities we had planned, high ceilings and plenty of space for some fun! We were really looking forward to working with both classes, over sixty children, for the day. As we prepare to introduce ourselves. imagine our surprise when Louise announces that the children have been researching us and they proceed to introduce us! Very well informed they were too. |
We knew Year 5 had been studying rivers this term so our activities were based around that but little did the children know they were about to do some maths - all in the name of art naturally. The Sports Hall became an impromptu river and two teams from Eagle Class went first trying to solve the River Crossing Puzzle. It goes something like this...
A farmer is on his way back from market with a chicken, a bag of corn and a fox. The farmer has to cross the river in a boat only big enough for one person and another animal or object. How can the farmer get himself and his goods to the other side without the fox eating the chicken or the chicken eating the corn?...you get the idea!
Lots of great team-working followed and it wasn't long before each of the groups had solved the puzzle - acting out the characters to great effect too. Formed into smaller groups, the children were set the task of creating their own 'River Crossing Puzzle' with their own characters and storylines...we had fishermen, sharks, divers, a family of triplets (who didn't get on!) rabbits and carrots to name a few - the children's creativity was boundless and some budding actors in there too!
The final session of the day with each class ended with them sharing their rivers project with us and a discussion about 'their' river, the River Crouch and how much they knew about it, how they interact with it, how their families had come to live in Burnham (or nearby Southminster). And some homework - to find out as much ss they could about Wallasea on the opposite bank, when the railway arrived and which is the oldest Yacht Club in Burnham. Rounding off the day with a few more questions from the children about our work as artists.
A great first day, really getting to know each other and finding out that 'doing art' might not be what you expect and can be a little bit exhausting!
A farmer is on his way back from market with a chicken, a bag of corn and a fox. The farmer has to cross the river in a boat only big enough for one person and another animal or object. How can the farmer get himself and his goods to the other side without the fox eating the chicken or the chicken eating the corn?...you get the idea!
Lots of great team-working followed and it wasn't long before each of the groups had solved the puzzle - acting out the characters to great effect too. Formed into smaller groups, the children were set the task of creating their own 'River Crossing Puzzle' with their own characters and storylines...we had fishermen, sharks, divers, a family of triplets (who didn't get on!) rabbits and carrots to name a few - the children's creativity was boundless and some budding actors in there too!
The final session of the day with each class ended with them sharing their rivers project with us and a discussion about 'their' river, the River Crouch and how much they knew about it, how they interact with it, how their families had come to live in Burnham (or nearby Southminster). And some homework - to find out as much ss they could about Wallasea on the opposite bank, when the railway arrived and which is the oldest Yacht Club in Burnham. Rounding off the day with a few more questions from the children about our work as artists.
A great first day, really getting to know each other and finding out that 'doing art' might not be what you expect and can be a little bit exhausting!
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