Month: October 2020

Creating stop motion animations

Creating stop motion animations

Make a Story House

Creating stop motion animations

Stop Motion video is a fun and easy way to tell stories and make magical animations with toys and everyday items. With a camera phone or tablet you can start making your own films in minutes - or go deeper and create a masterpiece at home!

Partner Organisation: Imaginate
Art-form: Video
Lesson plan included: No
Number of lessons (60 minutes): 1
Partner activities: Design your own video game characters
Covid-secure advice: children will need to work on personal devices
Difficulty: Intermediate

How to write your own play

How to write your own play

Project Title

How to write your own play

Tips and tricks to help you write, edit, rehearse and perform your own play

Partner Organisation: Fly High Stories
Art-form: Theatre
Lesson plan included? No
Number of lessons (60 minutes): 4
Partner activities: Make your own pocket theatre; Making paper puppets
Covid-secure advice: Social distancing may be required
Difficulty: Intermediate

Fly High Stories

Building Blocks Explorer: Dance

Building Blocks Explorer: Dance

Title

Building Blocks Explorer: Dance

In this five-week project, members of The Royal Ballet will share important strategies that will help you and your children create a successful dance. Everyone involved in this project will be a dancer and at times a choreographer. The teacher will be the creative director!

Partner Organisation: Royal Opera House
Art-form: Dance
Lesson plan included: on the Royal Opera House website.
Number of lessons (60 minutes): 5
Covid-secure advice: social distancing may need to be incorporated into choreography
Difficulty: Advanced

Why I support ACA: Sarah Argent

Why I support ACA: Sarah Argent

Why I support ACA: Sarah Argent

Last month, in the middle of this strange time with the global pandemic having a profound impact on the arts, I had the pleasure and privilege of being invited by Theatr Iolo (a company specialising in work for young audiences) to create - along with Kevin Lewis - a new piece of socially-distanced, Covid-safe outdoor theatre for babies and their carers. In a window of opportunity where the sun shone brightly and Cardiff had not yet gone into local lockdown, we performed to 18 audiences against the backdrop of the beautiful garden of Chapter Arts Centre. 
Those who experienced the performance told us: “It felt like everything in the world is back in line and feels good again.” “Realising that many families haven’t had this kind of communal experience with their babies in the last 6 months made it extra-special.”
These moving comments demonstrate what all ACA Members know so well - the absolute joy that communal and individual artistic experiences can bring to children - even babies as young as 3 months. 
Membership of ACA has brought me together with a group of people from different art-forms, who have different approaches to the creation of our art, who engage with communities in different ways in different parts of the UK, but who all share an unswerving and passionate belief that the arts can enrich the lives of our youngest citizens; people who are committed to creating and delivering cultural experiences that place children’s needs and desires at the core.  Discussions with and presentations by other ACA members keep me steadfast and true to these beliefs while also inspiring me and introducing me to exciting new ways of thinking about and making art for children. Thank you to all existing members and I look forward to new members joining us.

Making Paper Puppets

Making Paper Puppets

Project Title

Making Paper Puppets

Theatre Alibi's wonderful Designer, Trina Bramman, has created beautiful flying puppets for you to make. Choose from various different templates – maybe a bird? A butterfly? A dragon? Or even a winged horse!

Partner Organisation: Theatre Alibi
Art-form: Puppetry
Lesson plan included? on Theatre Alibi Website
Number of lessons (60 minutes): 1
Covid-secure advice: children should use personal equipment where possible
Partner activities: How to make a pocket theatre; Shadow puppetry
Difficulty: Intermediate

Theatre Alibi

Create and Sing: Hansel and Gretel

Create and Sing: Hansel and Gretel

Project Title

Create and Sing: Hansel and Gretel

Join CITV presenter Luke Franks as he visits the Royal Opera House and meets a host of young singers who introduce him to the opera Hansel and Gretel. This ten-lesson Immersive course will guide you and your class through the process of putting on your own version of this opera (which includes specially arranged musical extracts), and help you establish the key elements of dramatic singing.

Partner Organisation: Royal Opera House
Art-form: Music
Lesson plan included? on the Royal Opera House website
Number of lessons (60 minutes): 10
Covid-secure advice: Singing activities may not be allowed
Difficulty: Advanced

Fever

Fever

Project Title

Fever

An interactive online opera for 8 to 12 year olds. There are 5 songs in Fever!  Each session you will find:

  • lyrics and teaching guides to learn each song
  • videos that teach some moves to go with them
  • creative writing and science tasks to try
  • tips to make simple props and costumes

Over the 5 weeks, you'll learn the whole thing! 

Partner Organisation: Scottish Opera
Art-form: Music
Lesson plan included? on the Scottish Opera website
Number of lessons (60 minutes): 5
Suitable for children with additional needs? 
Covid-secure advice: Singing activities may not be allowed
Difficulty: Advanced

Scottish Opera

Chrome Music Lab: Song Maker

Chrome Music Lab: Song Maker

Project Title

Chrome Music Lab: Song Maker

To make a song, add notes by clicking the grid. Then, share your song with a link. You can also use a MIDI keyboard, sing into a microphone, or use your computer keys.

Partner Organisation: Chrome Music Lab
Art-form: Music
Lesson plan included: No
Number of lessons (60 minutes): 1
Partner activities: Fever; Everything's a moving picture
Suitable for children with additional needs? 
Covid-secure advice: Children will need to do this on personal devices
Difficulty: Beginner

Chrome Music Lab