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Wonderful Things Happen When Creativity Takes It’s Own Path

We have reached that tipping point – the longest day of the year and some of the hottest weather to go with it. What better way to celebrate than a dip in the river for an evening Solstice swim. I’m sure if I blink it will be Christmas soon and our show Captain Sprout will be on the horizon! Ahoy Me Hearties!

Photo of a river with a pebbly beach and trees on a grassy riverbank. The sun is giving everyhting a warm glow.

Rec Youth Theatre – Tall Tales

Our  REC Youth Theatre performs their Tall Tales next month in the woods in Grin Low and at Buxton Community School. I’ve been helping them make their own puppets for the production and they have enjoyed the hands on opportunity. I love just putting materials out and then seeing where their creativity takes them.

three young people sit around a table making puppets from plastic bottles and found materials

 

 

Bright Futures

Our Bright Futures project has come to end. 18 months working alongside two brilliant teachers, sharing knowledge and skills in the classroom. The aim was to help teachers find ways to teach the cirriculum in a more creative way and explore if the games and techniques we use within our work could be adapted and aid teaching methods. The outcome? A resounding yes! I didn’t realise how much of an impact we had until the end evaluation day. Teachers were asked if they would do a presentation and share their journey. One of our teachers threw the power point presentation out the window and hit the floor with a spoken word poetry slam!

Backup

Keep those heads down, stay in those seats

45 minutes of Powerpoints and sheets

Tick those boxes and bleat like sheep

As the bright colours fade, imagination retreats

 

Call in backup from the Babbling Vagabonds

We rapped our raps and we sang our songs

We ran from earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis

We danced in the shadows to tell our stories

 

Our science class needed some experimentation

Playing our cards right in periods of gestation

Throwing exploding vinegar eggs

We laughed as we moved and buzzed as we said

 

Freeze framing beasts with the essence of being

Which ones lay eggs and which ones need feeding?

Sorting through food groups in verses and chorus

Chomping asparagus and down the oesophagus

 

Making up sounds for each step of the way

Who knew digestion was conducive to play?

Who knew duodenums could be so much fun?

And every child in the class could recite every one

 

Hot seating oldies asking how much it hurt

Kind reassurance from our good friend Burt

Who reminded us all of the wise explorer

Or the time we had to instruct poor Professor Beaker

 

We carved out houses and painted with sticks

Brought learning to life with techniques and tricks

We tackled the drama with drama of our own

With trust based games that sweetened the tone

 

And now is the time to venture alone

Equipped with the tools to get back in the zone

With the right reminder, we can’t go wrong

To step into the shoes of a Babbling Vagabond. If you are interested in the documents we produced as a result of this project and download them here. Tried and tested games and advice to get you started or refresh your teaching.

The immage is of a child's drawing and is titled Stars and Wishes. They have draw themselves in the centre and then written down the things they have enjoyed and what they hope for the future. They have made a feathery wand to go with their piece of work.

 

Festival Commission – P.O.P

We were very surprised when we were awarded the commission from Junction Arts and First Art to create an interactive piece for Chesterfield Children’s Festival and The Full Shebang Festival in Mansfield. We came up with the idea of a Post Office of Possibilities (P.O.P for short!). A place where you could explore dreams and aspirations, dress up as your future self or write a letter filled with possibilities. We have been working with BOWZA Youth Club in Bolsover and the young people there have been giving their ideas to the project so now we need to pull everything together and use the Vagabond trademarks to create a fun experience for these festivals.

5 young people and two artists from Babbling Vagabonds sit and stand around a table covered in artwork and design ideas for the new commission of The Post Office Of Posibilities

The Herds – Threads of Nature

The exhibtion we created with members of the community in Macclesfield is still flying high. So if you are a swiftie then pop in and have a look at the fabulous artwork at Macclesfield Museum it is on view until Saturday 19th July. Be sure to leave your climate pledge too.Don’t forget that this has been part of a much larger project called The Herds. Find them on Instagram and watch their journey, it’s inspiring. We are heading to see them in Heywood on the Friday night (4th July) and I can’t wait to see these beautiful puppets.If you haven’t seen the incredibly beautiful education pack then head to their website, it really is like no education pack I have ever seen!This project was supported by Art Fund and inspired by The Herds.

There is aa display on a table top of cardboard houses and Silk moths and swifts fly above it. The artwork was created by the community