The graveyards are worked up. This rambunctious group wants to be taken home!
Let's take a...more sedate look at these pieces:
That's better.
We had a variety of ages and skill levels in this workshop, but there wasn't one graveyard that didn't turn out great. Let's look at some reasons why:
Coming In With An Idea
This is a 3 piece continuous project: the cat goes through the gate, menaces the graveyard and takes a rest in the pumpkin patch. This was a three generational family project.
We'd like to think that the time spent in a creative pursuit with family and friends is worthwhile all on its own and will hopefully, be a happy memory for everyone involved. Even if they're making spooky...creepy...fantastical graveyards! These are family memories...in clay form.
Creating Dynamic Pieces
There's a nice sense of movement in all the graveyards. These are active scenes. No one would ask these creatures..."Are you bored, zombie? Don't you have something productive to do, mummy?"
We also like how the pieces look side-by-side. They work with each other.
One of the fun things for us was putting all the pieces together in a mishmash...that worked too. Looks like a bunch of trouble to us! Oh, the stories these graveyards could tell. We should probably double-check the Kidstreet rooms to make sure no ghoulish surprises await us! Clearly, these creatures need to be separated before they hatch some sort of devious plan...
Maximizing Their Space
Another mark of successful projects is maximizing the space. There's no dead space...oops, poor word choice! There's no empty space, and more importantly, the space is well thought out. Something fascinating to see from all angles. Turn the graveyards this way and that and a new angle gives a new perspective.
Oh...Did We Forget to Mention...FUN?!?
We love it when both kids and parents create something whimsically wonderful and interesting. Ideas we wish we would have thought of ourselves.
In fact, we are so inspired by these pieces, we want to make more. We wonder if we could get away with giving ghoulish graveyards as gifts this holiday season? Can we bring a graveyard to Thanksgiving dinner rather than pumpkin pie (or with the pie, Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? No way!)? How about mixing them with more appropriate gifts? Would friends and family appreciate the graveyards more if paired with a
menorah? Or a
holiday mug? Overall, we think this is a promising start to our holiday workshops and can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings!
If you missed Part One of our Ghoulish Graveyards experience, click here:
