Week 2: A good author gets into the mind of his characters. The man who arrives on the island is a nobody. We don't where he is from, or how he came to be on the mysterious island. We don't even know his name. The information gaps in this story are seemingly waiting to be filled and drama and imaginative discussion are the key ways to deepen and shape a child's understanding of the man and his situation. This week's workshop explored the man's origins . How has he come to arrive on this island on his flimsy little raft? He's an escaped prisoner! A castaway! A fisherman swept out to see! A man on a secret mission! He is a refugee from a war-torn land! He was sent away like Moses in a basket! He is simply searching for a new, better life! We then used hot-seating and interviews to develop these ideas with the children playing the exhausted, weary man just after his arrival. One question leads to another... Where did the raft come from? What ...

Our first workshop started yesterday with children from a Year 4 class from an inner-city primary school in Leeds. The ' On the Outside ' workshop is a six week masterclass in developing creativity through art and writing and is built around The Island a captivating picture book by Armin Greder. The children loved it and reflected that they had learned lots of new things in such a short space of time. Roll on next week! Follow the 'WORKSHOPS' tab to find details of this session.

We are delighted to announce the launch of a new workshop aimed at inspiring GIFTED and TALENTED children to independent and challenging collaborative work. The 6 part workshop called 'Through the Magic Mirror'  is built around the fantastic book of the same name by Anthony Browne. With it's deceptively simple story and the surreal illustrations, this is the ideal starting point to get talented children thinking. Created specifically for Gifted and Talented groups, this masterclass is designed to encourage: Imaginative discussion.  Collaboration and independent project work. Creative writing and the skills needed for high quality art. Freedom to think differently. In this workshop, children will: Write, edit and present a piece of structured writing. Create pieces of high quality art work. Explore creative processes of authors, artists and illustrators. Develop confidence, interpersonal skills and enjoy themselves. For more information or to boo...