On the 12th and 13th September to coincide with the national Heritage Days Digability held its own mini festival. We wanted to show students how archaeology can inspire other subjects as well as those relating to history. We had Giovanna Fregni come and build a furnace with three of our students the day before. They learnt how to prepare the clay lining with straw, clay and water and to dry out the clay we lit a small fire over which we cooked our lunch.
On Friday groups from Athersley, Catcliffe and Rotherham attended to take part in metal casting, plate making, bones analysis and grave yard recording and painting. We also had a poet on hand to help the students write a poem.
The original poem as constructed in under and hour on the day:
Graham made a dark white plate
when he rolled the clay his shoulders
felt like rowing a boat
Mandy’s favourite bone is white,
it’s a foot bone, and a coccyx is for sitting on.
Josie likes fingerbones, they are long
all the way to your wrist, then your elbow
Our bones go all the way from the skull
down to our skeletoes
David found David on a grave
Graham rubbed with a crayon where
people died
Tony rubbed in orange, his favourite colour
Paul rolled out a round plain plate,
and that made him feel nice.
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This is the version tweaked by Fay, our poet.
Bone Ceramic Stone
Paul rolled out a round plain plate,
Graham’s is dark white.
His shoulders, when he rolled the clay,
felt like rowing a boat.
David found David on a grave.
Graham rubbed a crayon where people died
and Tony rubbed in orange, his favourite colour.
Josie likes fingerbones, they are long
all the way to your wrist, and on to your elbow.
Mandy’s favourite is a white foot bone,
a coccyx is for sitting on, and our bones go
from our skulls down to our skeletoes.
Let us know which you like best.
On the Saturday there was the opportunity to take part in analyzing Flints, to make a mosaic and take part in a High Street Walk in Attercliffe led by Sarah Holland.
The two days were a great way to celebrate the project. Students dropped in and took part and helped each other with the activities. Staff were able to meet each other and swap ideas, sharing each others expertise and looking at how skills could be shared across the curriculum areas.
