Bramble Ramble – an adventure in the outdoors at Croyland Gardens
Bramble Ramble – an adventure in the outdoors at Croyland GardensGuest blog by Outside In Theatre
It might seem quiet in your local park, but just out of sight there’s a world of creatures and plants getting ready for their next big event – the Fantastical Forest Fayre…and you’re invited! Join Dory the Dormouse and friends for this unmissable, magical experience filled with games, dancing and imagination. You might even see the world in a whole new way!
We wanted to create an experience for younger children to take part in that would support their wellbeing because we discovered through recent studies that younger children had found lock-down especially difficult and stressful.
We know through our own research that mindfulness, multi-sensory and engaging with nature are beneficial to support wellbeing, so we combined these elements and came up with our outdoor interactive audio walk adventure for children aged 4 to 8 years.
Public funding from Made With Many and Arts Council England helped to support a test phase of the project to craft Bramble Ramble during lockdown with the help of volunteer families local to Wellingborough. We sent our families a fun test pack in the post to help us find out what activities worked best and how we could make the experience accessible for children of all abilities.
We wanted the project to be engaging, enjoyable, and an opportunity for families to spend some special time together. We were also interested to find out if taking part helped to reduce stress. We had some wonderful responses that helped to inform the next phase of the project.
“It made our trip to the park extra special!”
“They loved the dragon picture most of all and it inspired some imaginative play.”
“It gave us something different to do at the park and kept them guessing! Thank you for all of the lovely resources – we would definitely be interested in taking part again in the future.”
“What I liked best was the bonding aspect. It was really nice to sit calmly together just being away from the usual bustle of life.”
We had always intended to include an illustrated map of the park and through our testing phase we discovered that an activity booklet as well as a map, was a wonderful addition to our original concept and an unexpected outcome of the test phase. The activity booklet works in combination with the audio tracks and the map and helps to make the experience even more interactive.
Using the feedback from the test phase we created the interactive audio experience to take children and their families on a magical journey from their home into their nearby park. The audio adventure is designed for children aged 4-8 and their families – but it is open to everyone and thanks to funding from Northamptonshire Community Foundation it’s free to take part.
Find Out More About This Event
When and Where
Bramble Ramble launches at Croyland Gardens (Wellingborough NN8 2JG) on 14th May and will be available until 6th June.
How to get involved
If you want to join in, register at Eventbrite to download audio tracks & printable activity booklet and then take part at a time that suits your family!
Eventbrite: https://outsideintheatre.eventbrite.co.uk
Access
If you don’t have access to the internet or a printer, visit Wellingborough Library where you can pick up an MP3 player and a pack with all the resources you’ll need to take part.
About Outside In Theatre Company
Outside In Theatre company are based in Northamptonshire, focusing on non-traditional and inclusive theatrical forms, with a thoughtful but dynamic approach to societal issues. Founding members Hazel Barnes and Helen Crevel are experienced theatre practitioners who have previously worked for Royal & Derngate, Carbon Theatre, Nottingham Playhouse, The Core at Corby Cube and the Science Museum.
Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/outsideintheatre/
Production Contact: Helen and Hazel at outsideintheatrecompany@gmail.com
Supported By
Bramble Ramble is supported using public funding by Northamptonshire Community Foundation and Made With Many’s Cultivate Seed Commissions: made possible through funding from Arts Council England – an original production created and performed by Helen Crevel and Hazel Barnes. Sound and Music Design by Jack Goodison.
Keep in Touch
For future updates on news, events and opportunities please sign up to the e-newsletter or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn – or Get Inspired on our website.