Evaluation

The Moving Tides Has been a rollercoaster experience. One that shell not be dampened by the unfortunate ending that it came to.

I have learnt so much and gained so many valuable life skills out of this and I think it is very much down to it being a live project. Which began we the terrifying experience of meeting the teachers that were going to help use though the teaching of the children. Unfortunately the teachers that I meat were not the year 6 teachers and this did hinder the organizing of some of the lessons checking with supplies lessons plans as I hadn’t got a direct contact with a year 6 teacher.

The research into carnivals really made me realize that it is as much the journey that the costumes take to be in the carnival as it is the final out come on procession day. I research that helped and influenced me the most was into the different carnivals held and Rio’s carnival really took my eye as the colours were so blocked I really took this onboard and in my design made sure that it was as much purple as possible as I wanted the same effect as this in Radipoles section of the procession.

In the designing of the costumes I I really wanted to experiment with all the different elements of shrimps which I think you can see in my other designs I really enjoyed the one with the tail but as this was something that would not been seen from the front as much deified to go with more of the legs as these could be seen from both front and back and have more of an impact. Seeing costumes from previous years also really helped me come up with ideas and this is really where adding the height to the costume with the eyes and antennas came from. I had this vision of in the distance just seeing bobbing eyes coming through the crowd and as you get closer to the costumes you then get to see what they are.

Budgeting was something I was not familiar with and I think something that I struggled with the most remembering to add VAT and the packaging to the final amount really confused my at times but in the end I got there. Also thinking of everything you needed and how much of everything took time but in the end I stuck to my budget really well and I feel now I have done it once i=I would defiantly be able to take this skill forward onto other projects in the future.

Lesson planning was a very carefully planed thing as parts of the costume needed to be finished and dry to more on to the next  and after my third lesson I needed all of the components of the costumes to be finished for me to take them home and construct the back packs. After getting it right my plasterzote did not arrive on time so I had to rearrange the first lesson. I feel this was handled well and my lessons still worked out well even though at sertan points I was carrying large amount of items on the train at points but it was defiantly worth it.

Preparation for the lessons was very repetitive but this just came with the number of costumes we were constructing. Venturing into the workshop to the spray paint room was really interesting and not half as intimidating as I thought and I think I will try and use these facility more and asking for help is always necessary in there I feel I have overcome my fear of this place and with be venturing further than our dye room in future.

Over all my lessons went really well seeing how much the children enjoyed the finished peace was amazing. These lessons have helped me become more organized and understanding how a classroom works. The lessons have also made me realize that I do want to go into teaching when I am older not straight after Uni but one day I think I would really enjoy it. I think what made my lessons more of a challenge would be the number of children I had. The 60 children to kept entertained was at times a struggle and to keep and eye on every one was also hard I felt I had one class room under controlee everyone was happy and know what they were doing and then having to rush and sort the other one out by the time I had finished this the first class was getting restells again. Some times I did feel like a yoyo. The traveling to and from the school however with the amount of things you have to carry sometimes did seem really impractical but memorable experience.

It was such a shame the actual day got canceled as I hadn’t had chance to see the costumes on the children which is really disappointing and something I feel I have really missed out on. The dissition was the right one to cancel even though everyone put so much hard work into the costumes but hopefully we will see them in September. I would just like to take this opportunity to say thank-you to the teachers that have helped me along the way and to all the children for putting in all the hard work to make the costumes it would not have been possible with out them. 

Canceled

Dear AUCB MTers 

I bring you this extremely disappointing news with great sorrow. As you can see from the email below the Moving Tides Carnival has been cancelled. Please read the official email from the event organisers below.

"It is with a heavy heart that Sarah and I took the decision this afternoon to cancel the Moving Tides Procession for July 12th due to the almost certain bank of heavy persistent rain that is predicted in Weymouth between 11am and 8pm tomorrow. We've checked on all websites and eventually phoned for a personal and detailed consultation with a met office officer.

The problem is not simply one of processing in the persistent rain. Most schools are stoical and optimistic about this. It is also the fact that several schools are walking to the Pavilion and will arrive already wet, space is already crowded, all our outside rehearsal spaces cannot be used, there are no inside spaces available, the large scale puppets and costumes cannot be taken out and neither can the sails that schools have been making. We won't be left with a procession worth watching  and we will destroy some of the work in the process.

We can take solace in all the good work that has been achieved in schools so far and all the new skills that the children have learned. We will look at alternative dates for a 'celebration' of the work achieved in September.

The Olympic Torch Celebrations on Weymouth Beach will go ahead, all the children and parents who (already) have wristbands will be encouraged to come. I've been in constant touch with the LOCOG stage production team and we have also agreed that due to the inclement weather, the community content will now consist of two stage shows, but without both the Moving Tides and the community drumming elements. Total fallback position.

Tough call, but one that we had to make today due to complexities of arrangements with all parties."

This is very disappointing to everyone involved. We have all worked so hard and this only makes it worse. However, these things do happen and though this will not soften the blow it is one of the pitfalls of doing outdoor performance. As you can see from the email there is an intention to have a celebration in September and we must look forward to this. I will keep you posted on this event over the summer via email and I hope that you will be able to attend. 

As for tomorrow – Sadly there is no carnival but the torch celebrations (though greatly reduced) will still go on and we still want to offer you the chance to be part of this and see the torch arrive in Weymouth. Therefore we will still be running a coach leaving from the AUCB at 3pm, It will be wet and it will be raining so please make sure you bring your wet weather gear. The coach will leave Weymouth at 8.30pm from the park and ride. If you would like to still attend this event then please email before 9am tomorrow (12th July).

We will let you know about the DVDs next week and organise a refund as necessary. 

Those students who are working on this project as part of unit for assessment will get a separate email to guide you on what you need to do. 

Regards,

Adele, Alison and Sara.

Visits after my lessons

I have done two further visits to Radipole school after my lessons the one was to finish tying on the straps to the back packs this needed to be done because the children needed to practice there dance with them on. But I also went on the 10th of july to make sure the costumes were all ready for the carnival and if anything needed changing or fixing also I dropped off the three dance leader costumes as well for the school to take down the following day.

I was so please with the costumes and so existed to see them on a child as I still have not yet seen the costumes on yet. this was not possible on either visits as the children were unavailable both days which was such a shame.

My fourth lesson

My final lesson. After finally getting all 30 of the shrimp back packs to the school the only things left to do now was to put the painted yellow spots on the legs from last lesson, paint the eyes and attach the straps.

After showing the class the shrimps. I think they were all amazed to see what they and been working on all come together as I think some of them had forgotten what we were working towards as it was over a month ago when I brought my prototype in to show them. The fist activity I showed the children to do was sticking on the spots to the legs. this needed a diagram the show where I wanted them exactly  and several demonstrations as it kept on going wrong. As they were finishing I got out paint for them to start painting the eyes and this started to make the creatures come alive. When they started to finish doing this I started to demonstraight how to put the straps on after 3 of the children trying and failing to do this and it was starting to creep to the end of the lesson I decided that the children could not manage to push the cotton tape through the corex and I would have to come back and do this in my own time.

This was really disappointing as they could not try the back packs on which was such a let down but hopefully after next week they will. It was such a let down as they were so nearly done I couldn't quite finish them.

My third lesson

In this lesson I was going to be more organised with the way the class was going to run today. As soon as I got there I prepared the die buckets with the purple die's. With the help from some of the children we managed to put the T-shirts in everyones place so it was ready for them to come and start the next bit of tie dye after I had explained what to do. I felt I had a lot to fit in today as it all needs to be finished so I can take it all home and make the back packs for next lesson.

To start off the lesson I explained what to do next in the tie dye they all seemed to get on really well this this and like before to them with groups of about 6 to the buckets for them to dye. after this they had to options with what they could do finish off the rapping of wire and centrecane or painting the yellow spots to go onto the legs. When the children got distracted I would change what they were doing and towards the end of the lesson we even had some of the children rinsing out the T-shirts ready to hang out side to dry again. this helped me and the other teachers out as it meant we didnt have to stay  behind later to do this. 

All in all this lesson went so much smoother than the last and I feel like I have more time to breath and really enjoy the lessons and get to know the children more. As before I felt like I has running round from class to class and only really having chance to helping the children that asked for it. But today I felt like I had got into a little rhythm and really understanding how the teaching worked. Everything got finished but the end of the day and I was able to take everything home on the train. 

Now to start making the backpacks 

My second lesson

For this lesson I went with T-shirts for the children to tie dye and the wire and centercane with the purple netting to be rapped round them.

The Teachers had brout another 30 T-shirts so all the children in the class could tie dye there own T-shirt. S o the first thing we did was have the children line up out side and name all the T-shirts so we know who's is who's. Then I sat them down and demonstrated how to rap marbles and peaces of plastic that I had brout with me tightly with string enfersizing the tighter it is the better they will turn out.

Ater see that the children were not really tying the string well enough I thought elastic bands would be better so we got elastic bands and the children seemed to be tying them better. After the children were happily tying there T-shirts up I went to sort out the dying buckets and started to prepare my self. I took small groups of about 6 to the dye buckets and explained what dye I used and how I use soda ash to hold the colour and how it is not salt which is used in hot walter dyes and salt only desolves with hot water and not cold. The the children put there tied T-shirts into the buckets they al found this the best bit and were all very existed to sutra.

After getting all the T-sherts in the buckets for just after 2 that means they have about an hour to soke in the colour.

Next was to rap the wire and centercane after demonstrating this and asking if they could all get into pares my plan seemed to start to fall apart the neat bundles I had made were not sticking together and after about 20mins of the exercise the children were starting to get bored and there was wire and centercane randomly on the floor I was worried about this as I had used all the wire and centercane to make these there were no spare peaces incase some got lost. as it got closer to 3.10 I knew I had made a mistake as the children all seemed to be getting distracted and irritated as they could not rap the netting round neatly also they had no urgency to get them finished.

At the end of the lesson I had 3/4 of the wire and centercane rapped. They were not all perfect and I was sure some of them would have to be touched up next lesson, but I was pleased that I had the majority done. I stayed late to help rinse out the T-shirts and hug them to dry over night so they will be ready for tomorrow.

This lesson tourt me a lot as I think if I had had a rotation of activities on the children would have enjoyed it much more and there attention span wouldn't have wondered as it did. For next lesson I will have finishing of the rapping painting the spots as a rotation.

Preparing for my lessons

I have to cut out 180 legs out of plasterzote for the children to use in there next lessons also cut 60 rectangles of corex out and prepare all the wire and centercane with taping up the ends of all the wire so the children wont hurt them thelfes with the ends of them.

This was a very repetitive proses which with the cutting of the legs and coex became more therapeutic but the wire did anoy me a little as it was so finally to do but defiantly worth doing because as I was rapping the ends I was constantly getting scratched. It is these little things that you have to think of when going it a school with young children. Any messieurs to keep them safe is worth doing.

Also with the wire and centercane I bundled them up so there were four of each in a bundle. My Idea is to make the children get into pairs and work together to rap them, as it is a fidely task.