Well, our summer Family Fun programme is over! And what a fun time we have had with it, creating all sorts of art and craft sessions to accompany the Gilded Beasts exhibition of the Aberdeen Bestiary. The medieval manuscript of animals has been a gift to us, filled as it is with wonderful illustrations of all sorts of animals, both real and fantastical.
Over the last three weeks we have had an array of animals including hedgehog, mole, weasel, mouse, birds and snakes to work with. Check out the wonderful creations the Family Fun participants made below.
Week 4 – Hedgehog, mole, weasel, mouse – Animal Architects
Native animals featured in the Bestiary this week, and the children exercised their creative flair by designing homes for them. The children were given a check list of requirements for each animal’s house, and images of real animal houses for inspiration. Beyond satisfying the basic scientific requirements for their animal’s house (e.g. a mouse’s house needs to be warm and snug, have storage space for food and have some protection from predators; while a mole’s needs to be underground and have a good supply of worms in the wall), the children were given free reign for their imaginations. They used an assortment of cardboard boxes, egg cartons, yoghurt pots and other recycled household items to construct their houses, and then went wild with card, tissue paper and scrap to decorate them. Lastly, they made inhabitants for the houses out of felt.
Week 5 – Magpie, raven and hoopoe- Birds of a Feather
Birds were the theme of the week, and there were a variety of activities on offer, including making paper plate birds and fantastic bird masks. We also read Kate Slater’s charming story of Magnus Magpie in the gallery for the little ones.
Week 6 – Snakes – Slithery Snakes
Snakes proved a popular subject with the children, and they had great fun making their own slithery snakes out of card and decorating them with tissue, sequins and foil. We also read Python’s Party in the gallery, and sang “I’m being eaten by a Boa Constrictor” – a great interactive song for early years!
And that’s it for Gilded Beasts Family Fun. We’re off now for our summer holidays before the schools get back, and then in October we’ll be starting up the Family Fun programme again. Keep a look out for publicity as we’ll be advertising our next events come September. In the meantime, here are some of our favourite feedback quotes from participants over the summer. Thanks for all the positive feedback – it’s really great to know that you enjoyed our Family Fun activities!
Great fun, can’t believe it was free
Very inspiring, educative and entertaining. My son feels good working with me in this environment.
Today I … made a peacock mask had lots of fun cutting, glueing all the feathers thanks
Today I … loved making my lion mask and roaring
Today I … made a tiger and liked it. I want to make a wolf next time.
Posted by: Sarah
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