All Our Stories
Local children were taken on a journey of toys and play through the ages. Initially the children were introduced to a variety of old fashioned toys from local collector Joanne Blunt, they were then fortunate enough to visit Clifton Park Museum and Ilkley Toy Museum to view their private collections.
During the project, the children invited in their grandparents and other elderly relatives to record their own personal oral histories. They also made their own hand-crafted toys, including a camera obscurer. The children then went on to plan their own story boards and record them on the green screen thanks to help of the Winterhill City Learning Centre. The project produced a range of DVDs showing films clips and comics made by the children themselves about what they learned.
The project not only increased the children’s knowledge of the heritage of toys and play, but it also developed the children’s social skills, interactional planning and presentation skills in addition to raising their confidence and self-esteem.
The delivery tutor on the project, Carole Foster, said: “This has been a fantastic project, every week the children have amazed me with their imagination and sheer enthusiasm, last night’s celebration was a testament to their achievements and I have no doubt that their schools are very proud of them."