#ThisGirlCodes: Do robots dream of Bolsover Castle?

Nov. 26, 2017, 9:48 a.m.
Education Programmes This Girl Codes
willow lantern making

Our recent collaboration with Junction Arts had the fundamental aim to inspire a young generation of creative digital makers. Under the theme of connecting landscape and technology, this group of Y5 children engaged with digital experiences to connect, explore and imaginatively share the physical heritage around Bolsover, in Derbyshire.

Embracing Bolsover Castle as a learning environment, and with innovation as another strand, the children engaged with heritage to create digital lanterns. Storytelling activities were based on local Masque Balls of yester-.year.

Bolsover castle

Young makers built and illuminated their willow lanterns with Codebug and Colourstar, ready for their collaborative pieces greeting all visitors of the Bolsover Lantern Festival to the Castle on the evening of the parade.

Artist demoing how to make a willow lantern structure in front of class of school children

Introduction to lantern design and construction with willow and reeds.

child constructing willow lantern

First team building challenges accomplished.

2 children making willow lantern

Coding the sequence of lights to create a digital storytelling piece using local heritage as the focus.

3 children testing lights under paper in front of laptop

Time even to share and evidence progression of programming with other teachers at school, and lend a bit of student voice to support more computing activities across the curriculum.

train the teacher coding in front of laptop

Design Challenges:

Willow Lantern with Codebug

Next stage glue :)

finished lantern structure waiting for glue

More glue!

gluing a paper lantern

Final testing before castle installation:

Lit up lantern on classroom table with code tested

Powerbanks for external display

Bolsover Lantern Parade on Saturday 25th November 2017:

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