Hello! Tasmin, Arts Programme Executive, here taking over this month to give some insight into the behind the scenes of the design, distribution and delivery of Delight’s Educational resources.
Printed resources
One of the key parts of our resource packs is the teacher guides. These guides are written by our programme leads and adapted over time to continually improve the content.
Script packs for the Delight in Shakespeare programme are created so that the children can write their own lines, translating the Shakespeare plays into something more easily recognisable to today’s language.
Our Arts Award journals have been developed using the framework put forward by Trinity College so that children can achieve their Arts Award Discover. Illustrations are created by our arts partner Paintbox, and graphic design is done by our designer Sharp Pencil Design. They are then printed by our printing partner Typecast Colour.
The resources are handed out at teacher CPD days, in programme delivery and more recently they are available on our digital members’ area created by Ella. Once your school is signed up for one of our programmes, there you can access lots of our resources such as our videos and downloadable resources.
Videos
Our videos are filmed by Wigglyline Productions who film our arts partners acting, drawing, dancing, and teaching. Recently, I was able to help with access requirements so that there was representation of a diverse range of dancers at a rehearsal and film day.
“The videos were excellent, the fact that there were male dances and a wheelchair dancer made it very clear to the children this was for everyone.”
Teacher
Our videos are also easy to follow and accessible with subtitles – using Sign Supported English. It’s great to see that it’s paying off with the positive feedback we receive from teachers.
The physical resources
This is the biggest part of my work for the upcoming programmes. I have been increasingly looking to choose environmentally friendly options when sourcing resources and packaging. For next academic year, I’ve chosen to try out reusable bags for the Rainforest Retreat programme, rather than the bigger cardboard boxes that can be used only once or twice. We also clean and reuse resources whenever we can, minimising waste and reducing our impact on the environment.
There are such a variety of resources; the classic art resources and signs such as “bang” for the Delight in Dance programme. I even did a spot of gardening recently for the Delight in the Woods programme!
New for this year were the Delight in Shakespeare costume boxes, acting on feedback from teachers asking for support with some basic costumes for the school performances. We designed these around the children wearing black outfits and having one key part of a costume to distinguish them from other characters.
The Delight Team looked around our local charity shops as well as having crowns, capes and other items donated by our arts partner ZooCo. It was important to us that the costume boxes were as sustainable and economically viable as possible. We also turned our hand to a bit of sewing to create tartan sashes for this year’s Delight in Shakespeare play Macbeth.
Volunteering
Volunteering also has a massive role to play in making the resources for Delight. We have been going to the Cisco Meraki offices in London to facilitate volunteering sessions. It’s been great to meet new people, helping them to make a positive difference. The feedback from one volunteer was that the volunteer session helped them feel “very zen”.
The sessions have mainly been to make miniature books for Delight in the Woods. For the next academic year, we also made some example bird tracings to inspire the children taking part in Rainforest Retreat.
Inspiration
To inspire the children for the Rainforest Retreat programme, dioramas, wooden birds, and other examples are created by staff from Delight and Paintbox who have an artistic background. It’s great to exercise our creativity in this way!
I have also filled out art journals as aspirational but achievable examples for pupils. I’ve enjoyed making characters such as “King Octo”- a character that likes to eat planets – and drawing storyboards.
We then carefully pack and check our resources to ensure they are complete and ready for use. Finally, our delivery partners Kelly’s Storage deliver our resources directly to schools ready for the sessions to start!
The development and delivery of our resources is complex, involving the collaboration of various teams. From teacher guides, script packs, and accessible and inclusive videos to the sourcing and repurposing of resources, each step is carefully considered to ensure the best possible experience for all involved in our programmes.
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If you have suggestions for what you would like to see more of, please let us know at ella@delightcharity.org.uk.