On 16^th March we had the pleasure of inviting Michael Rosen back for a creative workshop incorporating poetry, singing and body percussion at Abbey Meadows School. Year 5 and Year 6 children from local primary schools were invited by Helen Weinstein to this special event and were encouraged to walk to the venue, as part of our local history walk programme, which we have been starting to develop this year.

Children and their teachers came together from Abbey Meadows, St. Philip’s C of E, St. Matthew’s and Bewick Bridge Primary Schools for a fantastic morning of creative exploration led by Professor Helen Weinstein discovering hidden treasures of their local area and the ‘history beneath your feet’, including the amazing coprolite (pterosaur/dinosaur poo) that was found on Coldham’s Common.

Michael Rosen led the children in performing a number of his favourite poems, including his infamous ‘Chocolate Cake’ poem and Cambridge poem ‘The Listening Lions’ all about the Fitzwilliam Museum Lions. He also shared his newly commissioned poems, ‘Coldham’s Common’ and ‘Pterosaur Poo’, which are all about the history of the common just behind Abbey Meadows School that many of the children had walked over on their way to Abbey Meadows School just prior to the workshop.

As part of the workshop the children also sung with the Historyworks music team and learnt some body percussion to accompany their songs and poems, including the ‘Fitz Trip Trap Round’. They also had the opportunity to start writing their own poems inspired by the stories of Coldham’s Common, including the history of the pterosaurs that lived there millions of years ago and the coprolite mining that took place on the common after it was discovered.

At the end of the workshop Michael asked a number of groups to come and share the start of their co-created poems, he then shared with them the elements of their poem that he liked and helped give them ideas to develop their pieces further. Michael invited children to continue working on their pieces at school and to compile all their work into a class book, which could then be shared by Historyworks at a subsequent event in the Summer Term.

All the team at Historyworks had an absolutely wonderful time at Abbey Meadows School with Michael Rosen and would like to thank him and all the children and staff involved for making it such a memorable workshop - we’re looking forward to the next one already!