Iggy for All

In 2025 we are inspiring more children in art, theatre and dinosaurs…

IGGY FOR ALL – WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

‘Iggy for All’ is an Arts Council funded programme linking SEND schools and museums, we are running this through 2024- 25 with 6 schools and 14 museums in Dorset and Somerset.

To achieve this important partnership working, Emerald Ant is providing a package of activities to museums and schools. The schools are each receiving 3 day residency, involving our theatre show (pictured above), and ‘Iggy Experience’ workshops, delivered by the Iggy team; Vic Llewelyn, Jacob Aldcroft and Sarah Butterworth. Museum staff and volunteers are joining us, bringing relevant artefacts from their collections. The workshop sessions last 40 minutes and are especially designed for small groups of sensory and /or formal learners. Children gain knowledge, skills and new interests in theatre, art, and local geology. After the 3 days, Diverse City’s disabled artists Dave Young or Harry Bassett will visit each school to deliver inspiring creative workshops.

The museums range from small volunteer museums close to SEND schools, and bigger museums which may already have learning teams. Museums are participating in a skills development programme to use creativity to share their collections with children with SEND. Overall, museum visitors with DDN will benefit. Sam Bowen from ‘SEND in Museums’ and Mary-Jayne Russell de Clifford, a deaf arts specialist, have provided practical training sessions. Emerald Ant’s heritage artists Caroline Barnes, Sarah Butterworth and Sarah Acton are running creative brainstorming days at museums to pool ideas, in preparation for our Dino Day public events this summer, (see https://emeraldant.com/iguanodon-restaurant/) . In this way we are setting up and supporting links for future school visits as well as museum outreach work.

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A Toolkit for Museums!

Our new spangly ‘Art for Engagement’ toolkit helps small (and large) museums plan arts workshops for schools and families around their collections. Written by our Creative Director, Sarah Butterworth, it draws on over 30 years’ hard graft doing schools workshops. It has sections on planning and delivering workshops, hosting outdoor theatre, an ‘Ideas Factory’ of activities you can do inspired by your museum collections, and a section on working with SEND children. Use the printer friendly version below for a less costly option. Thanks to Sam Bowen and Mary-Jayne Russell de Clifford, SEND experts who have supported the project.

TEACHERS – GETTING READY FOR IGGY’S ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL….

We are inviting schools to share the introductory video, below, with their classes, so that when Iggy comes, everyone is ready to greet him, and can enjoy the show!

Little Iggies…

We would also love each child to make a ‘Little Iggy’ and bring it to the show. The worksheet below provides basic historical and scientific background to the discovery of the iguanodon, the central theme of the show. A more detailed worksheet looking at the same theme, together with instructions for the puppet making, can be found here https://emeraldant.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/4b-final.pdf (Instead of laminating the Little Iggies, you could colour them in instead).

We will also ask teachers to complete a social audit of classes so we can be well prepared for each group when you come to the workshops. A questionnaire will be shared with you at school.

WORK SO FAR…

In the summer we will be hosting 11 inclusive Dino Days at 11 of our partner museums, and inviting local communities to see the show for free! Please see https://emeraldant.com/iguanodon-restaurant/ for details.

Thanks to the Arts Council, Dorset Council, Dorset Performing Arts Fund and the Valentine Trust for supporting the project.

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