case studies
Freshford Primary School
Freshford Primary School has been involved in 5x5x5=creativity for four years.
Making a museum 2007
Educators: Sam Mosley, Anne Forrest
Artists: Catharine Naylor, Tessa Richardson-Jones
Cultural Centre: Locality
Mentor: Penny Hay
Discarded objects: a beach ball, a rusty tin...found amongst feathers, pine cones, shells, sticks...fascinating in their incongruity, picked up and brought back to the classroom. These became the basis for an interest in collections and a source of inspiration for fantasies to take root and grow. Fragments of walks brought back in the form of memories, photographs, and sounds were important in themselves, providing an echo of what was there. The classroom became a space to share our ‘treasures', their meanings and connections, time to listen, linger, wonder and speculate. The museum is a way of sharing an ongoing fascination with collections and ‘precious stuff' (Claire), its contents connecting the children to their family, friends and the world around them.
On a wet winter walk, we find 'a stick what looks like antlers' and 'a piece of the moon' (conker shell). Lots and lots of sticks, leaves and grass are secreted in pockets. Many tiny, striped snail shells seemingly all the same but actually 'they are all different and beautiful'. We bring our treasures back and share our thoughts and memories. The objects represent other things real and imaginary. We recall walks with our families and things we've found before. We find a discarded beach ball; 'I think there's a beach nearby... maybe it's a secret beach'.
All our special sticks are collected together in the classroom. The children share their ideas with each other about what the sticks can represent: 'sticks are lovely' and they can become 'antlers - a deer's hat', 'a pretend fishing rod', 'rockets' and 'a rainbow'. The children create new things with the sticks - a dreamcatcher, a picture frame, magic wands, swords and boats: 'I made a boat ... it needs a mast ... I didn't even go out to play'. Everyone shares information and inspiration while we discuss the endless possibilities of the stick.
On a cold and muddy morning the children set of to find the ‘secret beach'. They have drawn a map so we know which way to go 'squelching through the mud', 'splashing in the puddles - how slippy it was!' We catch the wind in plastic bags and call down the clouds that can take us to the secret beach. 'The cloud's called Holly and you have to shout for her'. We float leaf boats and a sledge for 'a teeny weeny elf' down a rainwater ‘waterfall' in the road. Adding to our collections, we find a rusty tin 'that might be gold or jewels'.
The children and adults bring in their ‘special things' from home, objects they have found. We try to guess what some of them are: 'an olden day thing', 'a bit of a fallen off wooden church'. We all listen carefully to each other's stories. 'We found it on holiday. First my daddy made it for my mummy ... she wore the necklace all the time on holiday'. The children enjoy each other's memories which prompt further recollections. They keep their things in 'special boxes' at home: 'I got a whole collection of this stuff'. Each object has a place on the big shared blue carpet and we photograph them all.
The children decide they want to share the story and their memories with others. They could 'turn all the classroom and playground into a museum', but they decide to 'make the museum in the wall on the terrace'. They 'make a hole in the wall and dig it out and put the things inside' over the next three weeks, creating a ‘museum of found objects', including photographs of their ‘special things' and objects they make from the sticks and other things they have collected. Their museum is 'the best thing we've had ever' and they decide to celebrate it with a grand opening for parents and siblings.
'You are seeing the inside of something when you see it with your heart, you find out more and more'. Emma
'Our school has been involved with 5x5x5 for four years and the outcomes are exponential, embedded and sustainable. The research has contributed to the clarity with which the school community can now expound on the educational importance of having clearly defined values and beliefs based on children's natural capacity for learning in a climate of creativity, autonomy and purposefulness.
5x5x5 has helped develop the staff's awareness of the importance of adult's supporting the schematic development of each child by the use of skilfully facilitated child-initiated activities. We have been able to identify the learning dispositions of the children more acutely; the outcome being that the learning has become more robust, resilient and meaningful.
Staff have been involved in deep levels of reflection and evaluation. 5x5x5 has provided a framework of support, training and challenge. Whilst involved in the research we have worked with mentors, the evaluation team, artists, advisers and many other settings. Each year the exhibition and conference have given the school community opportunities to share and celebrate their experiences with many settings and colleagues who have a national profile in education. This has created a crucible of experience, talent and passion which has become the catalyst for our ever-deepening understanding of the human capacity for learning.'
Anne Forrest, Head of Freshford Primary School
