Adventures into language and literacy through nature
Inspired by The Lost Words book, Lost words and found connections was a child-led adventure into language and literacy through nature connections. The project has been reviewed with our ongoing Eco-Capabilities Research programme with Anglia Ruskin University and a webinar that shares the learning is available to watch free online here.
I’ve enjoyed the quiet. It was really peaceful. It’s so nice to sit and listen It was so nice to meet Dana again too. Oscar (4) said he didn’t want to go home. He loved the imagined things – Mother
It’s water, and the leaves…and its growing (the leaves) the butterflies and the caterpillars are growing too ……and the birds are eating the leaves and the water – Amy(4)
This is the first time I have seen Dan (4) do any sort of artistic creation. He used expressive language to communicate what they were doing together – Educator
We were able to collaborate with Mayfield Primary School and Under Fives Roundabout pre-school, thanks to a grant from Cambridgeshire County Council’s ‘Talking together in Cambridgeshire’ initiative.
Through a series of artist residency workshops and after-school sessions devised with artist Filipa Pereira-Stubbs, the project shared CCI’s inclusive, child-led creative practice with 175 participants. Together we all explored nature on the doorstep by being together, sharing discoveries and creatively exploring themes of talking, listening, making and creating.
Participants included children (aged 3-5) from Mayfield Primary School and Under Fives Roundabout pre-School, their families, classmates, their families, educators, artists, creative producers, the local community and volunteers.
We also created a resource - using the children’s words and ideas. ‘Pocket Adventures’ is a set of small playing cards that can be popped in your pocket as you head outside to discover your everyday in a new way. These cards have been given to educators and families to use to have their own outdoor creative adventures. They are also available to other interested parties. Please email info@cambridgecandi.org.uk for more details.
We evaluated everything we did and the short film below gives a taste of what happened during Lost words and found connections - the adventures we all had together and some of the outcomes we shared. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed the project.