Monday 30 June 2008

A Twinning of Traditions

Today has been another day working with the Vital Communities project as part of the summer programme of events. We were in a school in Peterborough where I was running workshops with years 1, 3 and 6. As it was the start of their "International Week" I was given Australia as my theme so decided to base the workshops on traditional Aboriginal dot paintings. The children used traditional earth colours and made pictures and patterns made entirely from painted dots...

...But as it was also a Summer celebration we painted on flags and made more bunting which of course is a very British tradition!

These year 1 children had great fun painting with cotton buds on their flags.


As the paint dried we attached the flags together onto lengths of string which were hung in the hall ready for a final celebration of music, dance and painting at the end of the day.

Australian art on British bunting!


I loved this snake.


Talking about Australia, Joe is still in Sydney until the end of this week before moving on to Thailand. But today we received a DVD of a something he did when he was in New Zealand... a bungee jump! Fortunately I didn't find out about this until after he did it! I'm not sure he looks convinced about this.

Oh heck... that's a long way down
(134 m jump!)


The white dot is Joe!

Oh to be young and foolish!

15 comments:

  1. Great bunting! I love the school projects you're doing.

    Joe does look a trifle extremely terrified :)

    xxxx

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  2. More lovely little flags. Such a great idea to make Australian dot paintings with cotton buds! They look fantastic.

    I've always wanted to do a bungee jump - a beautiful setting for it too.

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  3. Great project results Gina.
    I always used to tell my sons not to tell me before hand what they were up to :) The worrying is worse than the doing when you have a vivid imagination.

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  4. Why do people want to jump off things???? Scares the pants off me!

    Love that bunting though - what a fab idea to do the dot painting!

    Lucy xx

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  5. What a great project, love to see how other people see our country, although I originate from Spalding in England which isn't far from Peterborough.

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  6. Good Onya Mate! (just a little true Ockerism in the 'Strine spirit.)

    Cotton buds, paint and children - it truly is a match made in art heaven!!

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  7. Oh my gosh, I too would have been so worried knowing my son were about to do a bungy jump.

    I love that great project you had the wee ones working on!

    Gina, did you notice that post of mine a while ago about "knitting, moo ..." etc? Since you also knit, I thought you might be interested in contributing to that project.

    Sorry I haven't been by for a while -- lots to catch up on.

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  8. My smalls have both done projects on Aboriginal art - the colours and patterns are wonderful, aren't they? That's fabulous bunting - I am definitely going to steal this idea!

    As for Joe ... :-O I was so worried for him, I couldn't even think 'phwoar' :-O x

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  9. I lov ethe childrens work. We watched the bungee jumpers in NZ at teh Hacket bridge, the firt place it was done, madness!

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  10. Loving all that fab Aboriginal-style bunting... but the sight of Joe's bungee jump makes me feel quite queasy!
    VCxx

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  11. Beautiful bunting and so much lovely craftiness too. Happy Wedding Anniversary (sorry i missed your previous posts) lovely socks too. Jane x

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  12. absolutely brilliant bunting! as for the bungee jumping - oh my god! how fantastic that must have been (not that i could do it mind!)

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  13. Gorgeous bunting! Love the dot painting idea especially.

    I had to look very hard in the last photo to spot Joe. Good grief! He's a braver man than me ;-)

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  14. I've had a go at Aboriginal dot-type painting and it's very therapeutic - must do it again sometime. The bunting looks great.

    Joe does look a trifle worried. Thank god you didn't know in advance! How does anyone do that? Terrifying!

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  15. SHEESH! I am not showing these bungee jumping pictures to my son - it looks way too much fun.

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