Film Training

During our filming sessions, we learnt how to use the camera - it was easy but you had to get it right. Before we started using it, Matt and Sav told us different ways that can break the camera One of them was that if two people are holding the camera, they might let go at the same time so that is why we have to get it. When we were practising, Matt and Sav told us there were four jobs: director, camera person, interviewer and sound person. Before we started, we had to get the camera in the right condition. To do that we had to do the white balance – white balance means getting the colour right so it does not get too black or white, by doing that the director has to a white special thing that is a square shape in front of the person’s face. After that, we had to make sure the light was not too bright and then we made sure the person who is being interviewed is in the right place by using the camera. Finally, we started filming old people who talked about what games they played and about their childhood.

By Abeer

Play session with elders

On the 20^th of October, year 6 participated in a play session with some elder people who ever so kindly took their time to come in to our school to help us with our film project. During our session, they showed us some awesome games which included marbles, French cricket and penny up the wall. Also, we showed them some of our enjoyable games we all knew how to play our games so we encouraged them to try and beat the professionals. Some of our games included champ, monkey-football and one-touch. We enjoyed this experience because we got to learn more incredible games that we didn’t even know existed! We liked learning about some games that people used to play throughout history when there were less recourses and less space to play than we have now. I think that everyone should try these games because even though they sound boring, they are fun. I hope that we get to do it again because it was a good learning experience and we got to learn some new games that we can play on our own in the playground.

By Brooke

Interview with an elder

Interview with Eddie

Colville Primary School got the chance to meet an elderly man that came to Colville Primary School himself when he was a student and his name is Eddie. In addition, Eddie’s dad also attended the Colville Primary School in 1910 and Eddie came to Colville in the 1940’s. They both went through serious conditions: World War 1 and World War 2. Eddie’s dad went through both World War 1 (July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918) and World War 2 (September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945) but Eddie just faced World War 2. When Eddie was a child, he used to play football and tennis on the side streets. A group of people campaigned for the play streets because they wanted to turn the play streets into roads and open it to the public so that people with cars can pass by. They also campaigned for Powis Square. Colville Primary School was then open to the public. The games that Eddie used to play at school were marbles, cigarette cards and hopscotch. In those times there were no adventure playgrounds so when it was their break time, they would go and play on the bomb sites. During World War 2, the houses near Colville got bombed and destroyed so they would have had great fun playing hide and seek in the bombed sites near Colville. 

By Mo

Trip to the Central Library

My Experience at the Central Library

As soon as we entered the library, the silence was the first thing I noticed. So our class quietly walked to the area where a librarian called Dave waited for us. He had laid out some books based on the information of the history of play in the local area, including some pictures too. We were also given some post-it notes to mark whatever we found interesting so that they scanned the pictures and sent them to our school for our project. As I was looking around, there were some drawers with some photographs of our borough in different decades. That was very interesting.

Written by Agape.

Trip to the Museum of Childhood

 My Museum of Childhood experience

The Museum of Childhood was a great experience of my life to go to a place that actually collected modern time toys. When we got there (on Friday 16th September), they showed us lots of different toys, for example, dolls, Meccano build-it toys, football cards, Rubix Cubes and miniature soldiers. Then after that, they gave us leaflets to find the different toys around the museum. I partnered up with my friends called Clive and Mohammed. There were play areas for small children to have fun. There were rocking horses for slightly older children but it was still great fun. The museum was grand and had its own lunch hall for families and disabled children. Its original name is the V&A Museum of Childhood which is open to public. I recommend you go there and I promise you will be shocked!

By Mozamel

This project will explore the history of children's play in North Kensington.

Children from Colville Primary school are working with arts and education charity digital-works to explore the wonderful history of children's play in North Kensington in London. The children will be taking part in visits to the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood and also to their local archives to explore this history but the emphasis of this project will be on oral history, the children learning by meeting and also recording interviews with older local residents to find out what games they used to play and to consider how play has changed and also how it has remained the same.

The children themselves will be updating this blog with details of their visits, workshops, training, writing, meetings and play.