Settings are key in children’s fiction. A good setting not only transports while reading, but becomes the future setting for daydreams and games. What gives some settings this power? What makes boarding school books, wardrobes and secret gardens so compelling?

In this workshop you will be guided down memory lane, using prompts drawn from the study of childhood geographies, to re-discover how to see and dream like a child.
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We will focus on middle childhood (age 6-12), and develop the following tools:
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• Using memory prompts for inspiration
• Seeing like a child: transforming the everyday
• Seeing like a child: comprehension
• Dreaming like a child: small kingdoms
• Dreaming like a child: aesthetics
• Dreaming like a child: in-between spaces

There will be ‘sketchbook exercises’ throughout the class, followed by group discussion to share our experiences of trying out these tools.

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Note: This event is two hours long but will include a short break partway through.