The success of B’Opera’s Socially Distanced orchard celebration meant we were in contact with the Gardens directly.
Our Unplug and Play groups at Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens have a loose theme running through each session. We combine scrap fabrics with imaginative play to familiarise children with the concept of repurposing and adapting the resources they already have.
Our Educators have developed a number of different age appropriate workshops and tasks which can be easily adapted to each child, and parents, needs.
As we have become more and more reliant on screens for work and play, schooling and gaming the Unplug and Play is even more essential. We facilitate that tangible outdoor fun whilst staying true to our environmental ethos.
In two short hours a piece of old bed sheet, has come a parachute, an island, a pirate ship, a flag, chinese lanterns, bunting, a tug of war rope, a mosaic. Its been added to with bells and beads in strips and added to a stick to make wands, its been woven with scented lavender from the herb garden and made into a necklace. We marched like soldiers to give mums a break after months of isolation and collected flowers from the beds. We have glued them onto premade upcycled bags to take home and used pre cut sleeves to make into dish cloth sponges.
“The great thing about it is that they can do what they like, you’re not precious about what they use up”
“Wow, he doesn’t normally like to take part”
“It’s so nice to sit down with the baby while he’s safe and entertained!”
We continue to work closely with the gardens to develop and deliver further artistic collaboration for you in our natural environment.
We are currently recruiting volunteers to support our UP Greenspaces.
Preloved Textile Community Collaboration
Inspired by a donation of curtains we had received in a Jacobean print, UP Makers prepared DIY Bunting kits to be gifted to local visitors, neighbours and garden volunteers.
We prepared an instruction and pre cut oversized bunting triangles and they were gifted to encourage those who visit the gardens to take some individual ownership by collaborating on community project there.
This was an activity that they could safely work on in lockdown isolation and the bunting could be accumulated and create a legacy for those who worked on their part.
The bunting could be used decoratively or to partition to ensure social distancing regulations for future events.
We were delighted to see all the upcycled curtains proudly decorating the Christmas craft market alongside some of our sewing kits.
