Life Lately

Life in learning & outreach lately has been very busy with school visits, events and Family Fun. This post gives you a little taster of what’s been going on: 

 
  
   

Who has visited us:

• lots of artists, facilitators and museum/gallery professionals visited us for the Participation, Photography and the Politics of Space Symposium which was developed in collaboration with NEPAN and engage.
• Portlethen Primary School P4/5 – Jacobites: The Rout of Moy workshop
• Fernielea Primary School P5 - Jacobites: The Rout of Moy workshop
• Loriston Primary School P2/3 - Discovering Ancient Egypt
• Culter Primary School P4 - Discovering Ancient Egypt
• Meiklemill Primary School P3 - Discovering Ancient Egypt
• Walker Road Primary School P3A and P3B - Discovering Ancient Egypt
• Buchanhaven Primary School P4A and P4B - Discovering Ancient Egypt
• Charleston School School P3 - Discovering Ancient Egypt

Posted by: Lynsey & Sarah

Guest Book – the last few weeks

We’ve had lots of schools visiting us over the last few weeks, but with one half of the team being on holiday and the other half leading workshops our Guest Book posts have fallen by the wayside. So now that I have a school-free moment I’d like to make sure all of the lovely classes who have visited get a mention.

Jacobites: The Rout of Moy

This workshop was attended by:

• Fishermoss Primary School, P4/5
• Broomhill Primary School, P5
• Hazlehead Primary School, P6

This workshop allows pupils to bring the Jacobites and Hanoverians to life in our Learning Room. Items from the archives (including a letter written by Charles Edward Stuart) are examined before the class listen to The Rout of Moy, a story inspired by the collection and real historical events. Through games and drama activities the pupils then tell the story themselves. Have a look at some of the pictures from last week’s workshops and see if you can guess what’s going on.

Discovering Ancient Egypt

This workshop was attended by:

• St Cyrus Primary School, P3
• Fishermoss Primary School, P3
• Drumoak Primary School, P3/4
• Glass Primary School, P1-4
• Glass Primary School, P5-7

Another popular workshop looks at Victorian Egyptologists’ records in the Special Collections. Pupils are asked to solve a problem: What would you do if you found an amazing artefact but it was too big to bring home? Oh and you don’t have a digital camera! Our Egyptologists, George Tomlinson and Ellen Pollard, used drawings, squeezes and writing to do this and we look at the original archives to explore their methods before the pupils tested them out for themselves .
Ellen’s notebooks are a fascinating record of the hieroglyphs she saw and translated on her travels around Egypt, including recipes for Ancient Egyptian medicines. The pupils use this as inspiration for their own recipes including some horrid ingredients like snake, ox and blood.
Unfortunately I didn’t manage to catch the rest of the action (the down side of running workshops on your own) but all the classes were great fun to have in the Learning Room. Thanks to Glass Primary Schools’ P1-4 for being our first ever Primary 1′s. We had great fun making recipes together and I hope they use their recipe cards to make even more revolting recipes back at school!

Posted by: Lynsey

Guest Book – Mile End Primary School

On Tuesday the Special Collections Centre was the scene of a journey back through time to the Jacobite era. P4 from Mile End Primary School came to visit us as part of their Jacobites term topic.

The children saw a letter written by Bonnie Prince Charlie himself, portraits of prominent figures of the time such as the intrepid Lady Anne Mackintosh (known affectionately by the Jacobites as “Colonel Anne”), and some early comic book re-tellings of Jacobite stories. They then learned about the art of making a tableau, or freeze-frame picture, by recreating the famous image The White Cockade.

Then it was on to the Rout of Moy itself, and the children listened to the true story of how Lady Anne Mackintosh and her five men outwitted 1500 soldiers of the Hanoverian Army and “routed” them, thus saving Charles Edward Stuart from capture. The children made props for the story out of newspaper and in groups they portrayed the scenes in tableaux form.

After all the excitement of enacting the drama, the pupils made white cockades, symbols of the Jacobite cause, to take back to school with them. In the 18th century wearing a cockade would have been a subversive statement and could have got you into a lot of trouble!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to bring your class to do the Jacobites: The Rout of Moy workshop, email us at scc.learning@abdn.ac.uk.

Posted by: Sarah

How to … make a Highland targe

Our new exhibition “Set in Silver” opens tomorrow so today we are bidding goodbye to the Jacobites with our final Jacobite themed “How to…”.

A targe is a round shield usually made of wood, leather and brass. Highlanders would have carried these into battle to defend themselves against swords, bayonets and bullets. They had a metal cone called a shield boss in the middle, to strengthen the shield and deflect sword thrusts. Sometimes they had a long, sharp spike attached to the boss which could be used as a weapon. They were often decorated with brass studs and the leather often had designs carved into it. Here is an example from Kings Museum’s collection.

To make your own Highland Targe you will need:

• 2 circles of corrugated card measuring 35cm in diameter
• 1 strip of corrugated card measuring 40cm x 5cm
• Stanley knife or scalpel (ADULTS ONLY)
• Roll of sellotape
• Roll of double sided tape
• Gold card
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Pritt stick
• PVA glue and spreader
• Brown tissue paper
• Gold paper

1. Using the Stanley knife cut 2 parallel 7cm slits in one of your circles of card, 9cm in from the edge, as seen below. This step should be done by an adult.

2. Pass the strip of card through the slits, leaving enough room for your hand between the strip and the circle. Turn your circle over and tape the ends of your strip down to secure it. You may need to cut off excess card.

3. Using double-sided tape stick two card circles together, making sure that your handle is on the outside. Original targes were made using two circles of wood. They would be attached together with the grain running in opposite directions to make it very strong. You can do the same when you are sticking your circles together, just make sure the lines in your corrugated card are vertical in your bottom circle and then lay your second circle on top with the lines running horizontally. You may need to reinforce your edges with sellotape.

Next you need to make your shield boss. Draw around a roll of tape on the reverse side of the gold card. Make sure you draw around the outside and the inside of the roll so you have two circles, one inside the other.

Cut around the outside circle then draw a point in the centre of your circle. Cut a straight line from the outside edge right into the point and snip around the edges of your circle from the outside edge to the inside circle.

Bring the edges of the long slit in the circle together until they overlap  and create a gold cone with a white interior.  Sellotape the edges together on the inside and pritt stick the overlap on the outside. Fold the snipped edges around the circle upwards so that your cone lies flat.

Stick your shield boss down in the centre of your targe using sellotape.

4. A real targe would now be covered with a layer of leather. Instead you should cover your targe with strips of brown tissue paper, stuck down with PVA glue. You might need to stick down any loose edges when you are overlapping your strips. Make sure you cover the snipped edges of your shield boss with the brown tissue but leave the cone free.

5. Finally decorate your targe with gold paper. We have used gold circles to imitate brass studs but you could decorate your targe with any shapes or designs you choose.

At our Jacobites…Up in the Hills Family Fun event children made their own targes and modelled them while pulling their best warrior faces.

If you make your own targe at home we’d love to see it. Send us some pictures to scc.learning@abdn.ac.uk and we’ll pop them up on the blog!

That’s the last of our Jacobite themed activities.  We’ll be back soon with new activities inspired by our photography exhibition.

Posted by: Lynsey and Sarah

How to … make a sporran

Our exhibition “Rebels with a Cause” is coming down as we speak but we have just enough time to show you a final few Jacobite crafts before we bid goodbye to Charles Edward Stuart and his men.

During our Jacobites…Up in the Hills weekend children made sporrans to imitate the appearance of a Highland Jacobite. A sporran is a traditional part of the male Scottish Highland dress. It is a pouch that is worn on a leather or metal strap in front of the kilt and Highland Jacobites would have carried personal items in them when going into battle. Nowadays men wear them when wearing kilts to keep anything from wallets to car keys safe while ceilidh dancing!

Our colleagues down in Kings Museum have a real sporran which was ‘Worn by Jacobite at battle of Culloden, 1746”. See how it compares with our version.

To make your own sporran you will need:

• Copy of our sporran template
• One piece of 21cmx30cm felt  (we used brown as we were being traditional but you could use whatever colour you fancy.)
• Scissors
• Leather hole punch (optional: we used this as we were using plastic needles, metal needles should pass through felt without a pre-punched hole)
• Yarn
• Needle (plastic or metal)
• Beads
• Scrap material or felt for decoration
• Velcro
• PVA glue and spreader

1. Cut out the sporran template and draw round the three shapes onto your piece of felt using a pen or pencil.

2. Cut out the shapes from the felt and using your template as a guide mark the holes round the edges.

3. OPTIONAL: Use the leather hole punch to punch the holes from the felt.

4. Cut a length of 180cm yarn and thread it through your needle.

5. Lay the belt loop on top of the back section of the sporran, making sure to line up the marked or punched holes.

6. Leaving a 5cm tail at the beginning, sew the belt loop on to the back section of the sporran.

Repeat so top of belt loop is held in place by 2 neat stitches.

Take your thread straight down to the hole below and secure the bottom of your belt loop in the same way.

When you have finished leave a 5cm tail and snip the excess yarn off. Tie your tails together to secure your stitches. Don’t worry if it isn’t very neat, the knot will be on the inside of your sporran.

7. Place the back section of the sporran on a table with the belt loop facing down. Tie a knot in the end of your yarn. Push your needle through the felt from front to back, making sure your knot stays on the inside of your sporran.

8. Lay the front section of your sporran on top of the back section. If you have pre-punched your holes, make sure they line up. Bring the yarn around to the front and push it through both layers of felt from front to back. Repeat this step one more time.

9. Your needle should now be at the back of your sporran. Bring it around to the front of your sporran and push it through the next hole down, going through both layers of felt.

10. Bring your yarn around to the front of the sporran and push it through both layers of felt from front to back. Repeat this step one more time.

11. Repeat steps 8 and 9 all the way round your sporran. When you reach the final hole take your needle around from back to front once more but this time only sew through the top layer of felt. Leaving a tail of 5cm snip off the extra yarn. Tie a knot in your tail close to the hole and snip off any excess yarn. The body of your sporran is now complete.

11. To make a tassle for your sporran cut a length of yarn mearsuring 150cm. Fold the length in half three times. You should have a bundle of yarn with one end made up completely of loops (A) and one end a combination of loops and loose ends (B).

Tie a knot in the bundle at end A. Use scissors to snip the loops at end B.

Thread your left-over yarn from sewing your sporran together through the loops at end A. Then thread beads onto your yarn, we used 2 beads but you can use as many or as few as you like.

Thread the ends of your yarn through the needle and pull the needle through the hole at the top of the sporran, from back to front. Tie a knot in the end of your yarn to secure your tassle.

12. To fasten your sporran stick small pieces of velcro (or velcro dots) as indicate in the image below.

13. Your final task is to decorate your sporran. You can use whatever you like, we used scrap pieces of material and felt to decorate ours but you could sew designs with thread, use fabric pens or bedazzle it with stick on gems. PVA glue works best as it dries clear.

14. Wear your sporran with pride! Thread a belt through the belt loop and wear it over your kilt. Or be less traditional and wear it with jeans or a dress.

Here two of our Family Fun attendees modelling their own handmade sporrans.

And it’s not just for children, check out the lovely Valentines themed sporran Scott (Special Collection’s Exhibition Officer) made his wife!

If you make your own sporran at home we’d love to see it. Send us some pictures to scc.learning@abdn.ac.uk and we’ll pop them up on the blog!

Posted by: Lynsey

How to … make a Jacobite emigrant’s kist

Many Jacobites had to leave Scotland after their defeat at Culloden and start a new life in countries far away, such as America and Canada.  They had a long sea voyage ahead of them, and they would take their belongings and a few treasures with them in their kists (wooden travelling chests).

Last Family Fun weekend the children made their own Jacobite emigrants’ kists, and we took lots of photos so that we can show you how to make one too.  This template could be used for other similar projects such as pirates’ treasure chests or Victorian travellers’ trunks.

You will need:

• an old shoe box (we asked at local shoe shops for ours)
• lots of PVA glue
• glue spreaders
• brown tissue paper
• brown parcel paper (optional)
• gold-coloured paper
• black paper or card
• wool
• luggage tags or card to make them with
• alphabet stencil (optional)
• sellotape
• scissors

1. Spread glue on the shoe box and cover with torn strips of brown tissue paper.  Do this one side of the box at a time.  If your shoe box is a very bright colour you might prefer to cover it with brown parcel paper first.

2. To make the handles, pierce 2 holes at one end of the shoe box with a pencil.  Make sure the holes are big enough to thread three strands of wool through them.  Cut 3 equal lengths of wool, and pass them through one of the pierced holes.  Knot them together on the inside of the shoe box.  Then braid the wool, pass the other end through the second hole and knot it on the inside to secure it.  Do the same for the other end of the shoe box and you will now have two handles.

3. Cut out hinges, a lock and any other decoration such as studs or your initials out of gold paper, and glue them to the box.  Then cut a keyhole out of black card and stick that onto the lock.

4. Tidy the appearance of your box.  The brown strips of tissue paper may need trimmed and any overlaps glued down.

5. Write your name on one side of the luggage tag, and your destination on the other.  Using an alphabet stencil will give your label an authentic look.  Thread your luggage tag with wool and sellotape it to your box.

6. If you like, you can make a set of keys for your box and you can also draw and cut out pictures of what you would put take with you if you were emigrating.  On Saturday one person took a change of clothes, his phone, a wii and an x-box with him.

Posted by: Sarah and Lynsey

Jacobites … Over the Sea

This weekend we had a full programme of Family Fun workshops on the theme “Jacobites over the sea”.

After the Jacobites’ defeat at Culloden many of them were forced to emigrate from Scotland to countries around the world, often with little hope of ever seeing their families or homeland again.  Our current exhibition “Rebels with a Cause” shows the journeys some of these Jacobites made, and some of the artefacts they sent home.

Our activities this weekend included storytelling and crafts.  We told the most famous Jacobite “over the sea” story of Charles Edward Stuart’s dramatic journey with Flora MacDonald.  The children made Jacobite emigrants’ kists (travelling chests) for the voyage and Cherokee-style belts like the one on display in the exhibition.

See our next post for how to make a Jacobite emigrant’s kist.

Posted by: Sarah and Lynsey

Guest book – Strichen Primary School

Yesterday we welcomed a school group who travelled all the way from Fraserburgh to see us.  P6/7 from Strichen Primary School came to the University Library to find out more about the Jacobites, who they are studying for their class project.

The pupils explored our current exhibition “Rebels with a Cause” looking for examples of Jacobite symbolism, and then it was all hands to crafting as they made white cockades and Highland targes!

You can find full instructions on how to make a white cockade in our blog.

If you would like to bring your class to do a Jacobites workshop, email us at scc.learning@abdn.ac.uk or phone 01224 273047 or 01224 273048.

Posted by: Sarah and Lynsey

The Rout of Moy

The last two days have been a whirlwind of Jacobite activity. As part of the Arts Across Learning Festival we ran four workshops for local schools. Pupils worked with us and artist Fergus Connor to create their own interpretation of the story of the Rout of Moy.

The story is about the outwitting of the Hanoverian Army by five servants of the remarkable Jacobite supporter, Lady Anne Mackintosh of Moy Hall. While Charles Edward Stuart was a guest in her house with only a small number of men, she learned that the Hanoverian Army was on its way to capture him. She came up with a daring plan to save Charles and deter the Hanoverians. As the Army approached, her five servants darted in and out of the trees yelling war cries and firing pistols, pretending to be the whole Jacobite Army.  The plan was a success and the Hanoverians fled back to Inverness.  The piece of  tartan which is on display in our current exhibition is said to have belonged to Charles and was given to the University by descendants of Lady Anne so perhaps Charles gave her his kilt as a gesture of gratitude for saving his life.

Take a look at the photographs below to see what the pupils got up to…

They had a look at our Rebels with a Cause exhibition and played a game of Chinese Whispers to show how news can change when passed from person to person.

We then told the story of the Rout of Moy and our audience participated by showing us their best bows and curtseys and toasting to “The King over the water”.

They played a version of Port and Starboard involving locations and actions from the story.

Using newspaper and tape the pupils made props for their stories.

In groups the pupils prepared tableaux (still pictures) of scenes from the story. Here are some of their final pictures.

“We’re really cold” by Gilcomstoun and Total French Schools

“Running away” by Kingsford Primary School

“Charles thanks Lady Anne” by Gilcomstoun and Total French Schools

Thanks to the pupils, teachers and adult helpers from Kingsford PS, Manor Park PS, Hazlehead PS, Gilcomstoun PS and Total French School for their fantastic participation!

Posted by: Sarah and Lynsey

How to … make a white cockade

The cockade was a symbol of the Jacobite cause, and was based on the white rose emblem of the Stuart dynasty.  Gentlemen would wear the cockade on their bonnets, and ladies might wear one in their hair or attached to their dresses.

Here are instructions on how to make your very own.  You will need:

• 17 strips of white paper.  We made it with strips 2cm x 10 1/2cm (half the width of a piece of A4 paper).
• 1 square of cardboard approx 3cm square.
• Gluestick

1. Glue the edges of four strips of paper on to the four edges of the cardboard square.

2. Now bring the outer edge of each strip of paper  into the centre.  Glue down the edges in line with the inner edges that you have already glued.

3. Now repeat steps 1 and 2, but this time glue the strips across the corners of the cardboard square.

4. To make a double cockade, repeat steps 1-3 on top of the rosette you have already made.

5. Now take the last strip of paper and glue it together to make a ring.

6. Glue the ring, seam facing down, on to the centre of the cockade, covering the centre of the cardboard square.
Your cockade is now ready to be worn!

This craft activity is part of our Jacobites workshop, suitable for P4-7.   If you would like to book your class in to do this workshop, email  scc.learning@abdn.ac.uk or phone 01227 273047 or 01224 273048.

If you’ve used our instructions to make a white cockade, we’d love to hear from you.  Feel free to leave a comment on this post.