Back by popular demand, and to coincide with the Lost Words Oxfordshire crowdfunder, we are re-running this workshop as a springtime edition…
Rediscover the magic in your city! Oxford is full of life, colour, creeping beasts, and enchanting creatures if we only take the time to look for it.
Join us for an exciting workshop-and-walk inspired by The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. Macfarlane and Morris created this spellbinding collection in response to the 2007 edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary which introduced new words such as “broadband” and “blog” while words relating to the natural world (acorn, wren, otter, willow, to name a few) were lost. The dictionary, reflecting the frequency of words in the daily language of children, threw into undeniable relief the idea that children are losing touch with nature. Enter ‘The Lost Words’. This is a magical collection of acrostic poems by Macfarlane, gorgeously illustrated by Morris, which re-conjures these words, brings them back to our hearts and minds, and helps children to discover the natural world around them.
And now we conjure this spirit in our very own Florence Park! We will be meeting at Flo’s Place in the Park, the new community hub in the heart of the park. After a chat about the kind of creatures, creepy-crawlies, and all manner of living things we might be seeing (and a bit of binocular training!), we will head out in the park to explore. Nick Boyd, resident nature-expert, will lead the walk, teaching you how to look and listen and notice the living world around us. We will then return to Flo’s to create our own Lost Words-inspired poetry with the help of poet Phoebe Nicholson. Collage and craft materials will be available to illustrate and decorate your spells!
This is the second pilot session in preparation for a series of workshop to happen later in the year so stay tuned…
Suitable for ages 7-14.
£5 per child (£2 concessions – contact oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com for more info)
Grown-ups welcome to join but not required
31 March, 9.30am – 12.30pm
Flo’s Place in the Park (Florence Park)
Tickets and more information can be found here.
Love the idea of this and feel I played a small part in this by starting the petition against the Oxford Junior Library removing these vitally important words.