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Kids school and holiday art clubs

Wild Art on Wimbledon Common _ Day 2

 

For details of day 1 click here.

We arrived with trepidation on Tuesday morning hoping that our animals had survived the night.

To our relief they were still hanging at the edges of our camp, looking even more beautiful as the morning sun shone through the leaves.

It was quite magical setting up for day 2 in the late October morning sunshine.

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This mornings activity was to release some tree spirits by familiarising ourselves with the trees surrounding our camp. We began working in pairs to lead each other blindfolded to a chosen tree. We then had to find our way back unaided.

DSC_0036Meanwhile Philippa prepared a gorgeous pile of mud for us to sculpt with.

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She showed us how to mould the mud to the correct consistency…DSC_0047…how to rub a small amount into the tree bark to prepare a ground…DSC_0050 ….then throw the mud at the bark and start to release the spirit of the tree.DSC_0059 We could add leaves, stones, berries, moss, sticks, ferns and other found materials to create special effects.DSC_0066 DSC_0071

It felt squiggly and sloppy…yuck!DSC_0072 DSC_0075

We could make lots of different shapes

DSC_0076DSC_0156 It took lots of concentration – the woods were the quietest they had been for the two days.DSC_0083 DSC_0087

We all had a special quiet moment with our tree spirit!

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Look at all the wonderful effects we came up with.DSC_0096 DSC_0097 DSC_0110 DSC_0118 DSC_0125 DSC_0130 DSC_0132 DSC_0133 DSC_0136 DSC_0157

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We then started work creating paths and portals to lead to each spirit, we would line the way with veils and lanterns to create a magical environment to show our parents

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We used the knots and lashings learnt yesterday to make pyramid shaped lantern
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DSC_0223DSC_0262 DSC_0223Our last task was to create a giant spider as a centre piece to the installation. We sketched the outline  into the ground to remind ourselves of the parts of a spider.

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The ‘stick group’ made the legs by cutting fallen branches to the same size piecesDSC_0168

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Once we had 16 lengths the same size we carried them back to base.

DSC_0207We lashed two pieces together to make each leg. We were really working as a team now!DSC_0217DSC_0219 The ‘mud group’ set to work on making the thorax and abdomen out of mud.DSC_0210

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We then worked in groups to make holes in the ground and hammer the legs into place.

DSC_0232The giant spider began to take shape!DSC_0236DSC_0252

A few giant spider webs began to emerge

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Exhausted! Argh! Trapped!DSC_0291We had a final tidy up and added some finishing touches before collecting our parents to see the finished environment.DSC_0304DSC_0241 DSC_0308

They entered through the thin veil separating our world from the next! We were delighted to show them what we had made and retell the Samhuin stories of tree spirits, trapped souls and how we had released them.DSC_0301DSC_0302DSC_0303 DSC_0311Thank you to everyone who made this fabulous two day adventure such a success.

The children had a wild time, creating, playing free in the woods and making new friends.

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