Activity: Imagining the Rumpus

Aim/ Key learnings: This workshop aims to allow 5-10 year olds to develop ideas and build on them together in a fun, play based setting. The ideas will be recorded as drawings, models, recordings. The emphasis will be on developing a narrative this week.

Age group: 5-10yrs

Method: Family group workshop

Ratio Participant/Facilitator: 3 artists to 5 family groups of 5

Duration: 90 mins

Materials required: Coloured paper, Felt pens, Scissors, Glue, Sticky tape, Pipe cleaners, Paddle pop sticks, Paper cups, Plasticine, Raw brown card.

Preparation required:

• Meet with Marianna (writer) to plan Narrative development
• Organise materials and space with Rena

Aim of workshop: To collect and document the ideas that show potential to be used in The Great and Grand Rumpus installation at the Edge.

Facilitators: Sue , Marianna, Mari, Tim

Is a feedback form required?: No

Marketing and communications tools: We need a team of advisers, story tellers, artists to join in our play based workshop to help us come up with the ideas for The Great and Grand Rumpus Installation

Venue Requirements: Breakout play space, Tables and chairs, open blinds for people to see in.

Is a media release form required?: No

10.30 min

• Welcome and name tags - come up with a team name
• We collect names and email addresses of the families participating

10.35 min

• What are we are doing today? ‘We have run out of ideas and we need your help to come up with some more.’

10.40

• Group story game led by Marianna

11.00

• Drawing challenge (these are interchangeable)
• Draw something from the story
• Draw who or what you would invite to a party
• Draw your perfect place for a party.

11.15

• Continue the drawing into crafting a model
• Introduce the idea of the ideas machine (blue blocks)
• How does the craft interact with the space created by the blocks?

11.30

• Sue starts to document the ideas that have come about.
• Other artists ask the participants to reflect on what they have made and inform the documentation.

11.45

• Break out play is winding up
• Final group reflections
• Any group activity that might create a party

11.55

• Clean up

Title and facilitator/s: Sue Loveday, Mari Hirata, Marianna Shek

Attendants and ages: Morning session - 12. Afternoon session - 13

Aim of Workshop: Come up with a storyworld that ties together the Great and Grand Rumpus design and storylines

Inspiring quotes from young people: ‘The Fashion Designer fights off the trolls with her needle of justice that she keeps in her handbag.’

‘Red Ants need to eat lots of Maltesers to shout sweet nothings.’ ‘How can you shout out sweet nothings?’(Mari) ‘Speakers’ (Nessun) ‘This is so much fun’ (Mitch)

Stand out ideas or outcomes:

1st workshop:

• Red ants from Pluto were shouting sweet nothings.
• Unfortunately, SNOT-BLURPING MONSTERS from the animal forest were hopping on ice, making too much noise.
• Fortunately, Flying Applemen of the Darkness Death tribe came to the rescue with jumping pillows that killed all the noise and saved the day

2nd workshop:

• There was a make-up artist at the Gabba making the world’s largest berry pancake.
• Unfortunately, a fashion designer from Candytown was hunting for troll fairies (who eat pancakes).
• Fortunately the Gods from New York were in town and they were FLOSSING, and they inspired everyone to FLASH FLOSS, even the troll fairies.

Things to consider next workshop:

• Are there any links between the ideas?
• If we want to move an idea forward, prompt the kids to develop/ flesh out ideas

Specific outcomes required in the next workshop:

• Marianna needs to lead team to come up with the rules of the Storyworld and the call to action to encourage people to play

Are there completed media release forms? No

Are there completed feedback forms? No

What was challenging and how was this handled?

• Recruiting the kids. Parents who had signed up didn’t all show up. Mari had to go down to the Corner and recruit people.

To run this exact workshop again, how would I do it differently?

• Can we consider marketing to schools (old fashioned way)
• Better booking management (the event was locked off on Eventbrite. It closed down early and parents couldn’t register).
• Overall, we were very happy with the way this workshop is run. The balance between structured ideas generation and self-directed play is excellent for engaging the children in imaginative world building.