Friday 20th March Mad Hatter Workshop We started with the 1st and 2nd class for the first hour. We went through a basic outline of what the project involved, making the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party from paper mache. We talked the pupils through the technique and had a saucer already made to show them what today’s end result would be. The large group of 31 pupils were divided into three groups to prepare the materials for the paper mache. Group 1: the construction of the saucer base. This was achieved by taping together pre-cut cardboard circles using masking tape.

Group 2: Newspaper. Pupils tore up large sheets of newspaper into more manageable sizes. Group 3: Cardboard. Pupils tore the cardboard into smaller sizes to soak in water for 5 minutes to soften them so they can then be separated.

We showed the pupils how to make the paste by mixing flour with hot water and using a blender to ensure there were no lumps. The pupils were divided into groups of 4 and using their fingers, they first applied a layer of newspaper onto the items. They then began to apply a layer of cardboard onto the surface. As the children were doing the paper mache we discussed the project in more detail, giving them an idea of the scale of the pieces they were making. One finished they were asked to sum up the workshop in a one word answer and a lot of the children focused on the texture of the paste using words such as sticky, gooey and warm. 3rd and 4th class We walked through the project with the class outlining the aim of making oversized items to represent the tea party. The pupils continued from where the previous class finished off as each piece required a minimum of two layers of cardboard to it. They were also working on a large cupcake and the mad hatter’s hat that had been started before the workshops began. In order for the items to be strong and durable they need as many layers as cardboard as possible and this is why some of the items have been pre-made for the students. Whilst they were applying the layers we discussed in detail the different characters in the story and how we could use colour and images to represent each one clearly in each place setting. They talked about the Queen of Hearts and the use of playing cards and painting hearts; the colours that Alice wears in the story, blue, white and black for her hairband; the Cheshire cat and his very wide grin; the rabbit who is always late so to use the image of a watch for him; the white good queen and how a crown around the cup may be used. They also talked about what other items will need to be made to set up the tea party such as a tea pot, sugar bowl and milk jug, cake stand and cakes and how this may be achieved.

Whilst they were applying the layers we discussed in detail the different characters in the story and how we could use colour and images to represent each one clearly in each place setting. They talked about the Queen of Hearts and the use of playing cards and painting hearts; the colours that Alice wears in the story, blue, white and black for her hairband; the Cheshire cat and his very wide grin; the rabbit who is always late so to use the image of a watch for him; the white good queen and how a crown around the cup may be used. They also talked about what other items will need to be made to set up the tea party such as a tea pot, sugar bowl and milk jug, cake stand and cakes and how this may be achieved. Once they had finished applying enough layers to each item the students then helped to clean up by recycling unused cardboard and newspaper, washing down tables and generally tidying everything away. The most discussed aspect of today’s workshop was the texture of the paste which was summed up as being mainly gooey! All items were taken home by me and laid out to dry in the sun over the weekend. Luckily the sun was shining in full and all items were dried out easily enough. In order to maintain the momentum of the project, I will apply additional layers to each item before bringing them back into the pupils for them to paint in the following workshops.