Day 1 of Holocaust Memorial Day workshops

A class of 24 children from p6/p7 that is 9-12 year olds. Some of the older ones feel that they are in limbo...oldest in primary but a scary new world looking at heading to being the youngest in secondary school.
18 boys and only 6 girls and I had decided to do Dolls as my theme! Was I insane????

I began the day by discussing how many boys had played with 'stretch armstrong' ...lego men, wrestler figures...Dr.Who collectables...transformers. The hand became more numerous and when lulled into a false sense of security and many nodding heads agreed on toys ; I told this manly lot actually they had been playing with dolls all this time. We talked about how doll type figures were placed in many homes as 'totems ' of good luck and protection. We talked about the skills needed to make them, tools needed to make them and of course materials.

The story of the old lady who was on a train going to one of the camps alone and bewildered next to a crying child who was alone and lost and needing comfort . So she remembered her mother making her a cloth doll as a child and taking a layer of her skirt she tore some strips from it and using simple knots and the fabric she stood up in she made a doll for the child . The simple form  of the cloth doll and the simple act of kindness comforted the child as nothing else could have in that cramped carriage.

Older people have much knowledge of craft ideas that were made out of necessity because there simply were no other choices for them. this skills may well die with those generation if we don't bridge the gap between generation and learn from one another.

Today's simple exercise in getting the children to write down the gifts they received this Christmas and what their favourite gift was was made all the more poignant when I had them imagine how they would feel if someone came and took everything from them and they were left with nothing but the clothes they stood up in.
The challenge was taken and the children all created their first doll. They listened well and everyone created something doll like. Learning about fabrics and fabric construction they added warp and weft to their new language of textiles.
The knotting and the wrapping at a first go figured they were keen to tackle the second project of a soft satin doll ( half of the class ) and a stiff synthetic fabric ( the other half of the class )

What was exciting for me is that once the 'bones ' of the doll was made the children raced ahead with their own designs and ideas. The 'dolls' became ninja warriors, male, mermaids and lots of other deviation but the best thing of all was the p7's who had drifted to the back of the class and were playing puppet figures with one another's dolls.
We discussed all the fabrics and it surprised me that the majority vote was that the preferred doll form was from the undyed , inexpensive cotton muslin dolls. I pushed for an answer why and I was told " because they are more real".

I for one learned a whole lot from this days workshop.
Looking forward to tomorrows angels and wishes and if we have time for play time ...great...of course once school ends then it is time for the teachers to get a chance to play....hurragh!
Much more tomorrow then!