This week we had the pleasure of going into Marazion school to work with year 6 children as part of the Withy Lore project that we’re delivering in partnership with artist Anna Pope. Over the course of the day, children heard and shared personal stories, did some weaving and had a special visitor!
Stories lead to more stories
As with all of our school workshops, we began with a story. Together we watched one of Storylines most recent films which shares Stephen’s story of withy pot making on St. Michael’s Mount.
Stopping throughout for conversations and sharing, this was a great way to explore local heritage, connection to nature and place, sustainability and the environment. It’s always fascinating to hear children’s stories and get a feel for the different characters in the room.
We heard about times where patience was required, acts of re-purposing, hand-crafting and family tales and skills passed down the generations.
Exploring careers
This term the children had been learning about careers, so this workshop was the perfect way to introduce them to unusual jobs with many of them focussing on working with hands. Not only did children hear about the craft of withy pot making, they also learnt about our work at Storylines, Anna’s career as a jeweller and volunteer Megan’s experience of being a weaver and fashion designer.
After sharing our passion for the act of deep listening, we explored how to ask open questions and children crafted some brilliantly creative questions for Stephen who would join us in the afternoon.
Welcoming Stephen
As Stephen arrived in the classroom after lunch he was met with ‘you’re the celebrity from the film!’ A wonderful welcome which was shared by many who enjoyed meeting ‘the man from the film!’ Over the course of the afternoon children spent time asking Stephen their questions, and were captivated by his fascinating personal history. There were some beautiful moments throughout this sharing and connections made between the generations.
Having a go at weaving
After an immersion in the craft of withy pot making, children were keen to try their hand at weaving. Supplied with willow hoops and a range of natural and man-made materials, children wove their own artworks. As many withy pot makers have told us, each withy pot has its own character and style. This activity was no different, resulting in a diverse collection of woven pieces. Weaving is rarely practiced today, so it was a very new activity for most children. It was lovely to see some children getting into the rhythm of weaving as well as enjoying conversations with friends as they wove. As well as personal pieces of weaving, children got to have a go at weaving the mouth of a withy pot on an actual pot stand and doing a really good job working with the soaked willow.
This workshop was made possible with thanks to funding from the St.Aubyn Foundation, as part of the Withy Lore project. A big thank you also goes to Mr Groom for his enthusiasm and support and to Stephen for sharing his story with children and answering so many questions!
