During this Workshop, I will teach Learners how to make a movable horse marionette from toilet paper rolls and other materials which can be found in any household. It is a great project to demonstrate to children that making a toy out of paper, tp rolls, bottle caps etc. otherwise known as 'thrown away stuff' could be fun. I am sure you will be impressed by what you can make by playing scavenger hunt in your home for just a few items.
Hungarians have always had a strong connection to horses. They arrived to The Carpathians in the IX century on horseback. The Hungarians were excellent cavalrymen, fired accurately while mounted on their horses and were tactical and deadly with their bows and arrows, hence there is a phrase “Lord save us from the arrows of Hungarians". Many centuries ago, children in Hungary were imitating galloping on a broom handle with a horse head attached. They wanted to be heroic ‘hussars’ once they had grown up. Hussar is best described as light cavalry during the XV-XIV centuries. The horse has a distinctive meaning for Hungarians – a horse is a friend of men and children. Horses appear in many Hungarian bedtime stories i.e. Son of the White Mare in which tale the main character has superhuman powers. Horses are mythical creatures in these stories as they can fly, conjure magic, and they are capable of transforming from a nag to a steed which is required to eat cinders instead of oats.
This Workshop requires use of a few tools and materials which can be found in the average household. This Workshop will help to improve finger dexterity and grip i.e. cutting along straight lines, painting or tying knots. This Workshop also demonstrates how to alter the approach towards reusable materials that usually end up in the recycling bin. It is important to teach children that these items can be transformed into a toy, in a way that their creative skills can be enhanced, and that their imagination can be further developed.
I have always been interested in creating new items from reusable materials. When I was a child, I liked to give handmade gifts for my loved ones. As a teacher, I always encouraged my students to rely on their imagination while they were making arts and crafts. During after school activities, I guided the students in how to work with the relevant materials that I brought in. We could source various remnants from materials like wood, metal, paper and thread from a factory. I am very proud to say that some of my students have become artists and fashion designers.
Ever since I retired from my career as an art teacher, I have strived to demonstrate for the wee ones that things like a toilet paper roll can be transformed into a toy with inspiration. I believe greatness lies in simplicity – in the near past while mothers and grandmothers in Hungary were focusing on household chores such as removing corn kernels from ears or working on a spinning wheel, they knew how to keep children entertained – kids were making puppets, like a movable horsey.
I can imagine almost everything I see being used as materials for arts & crafts. I especially like those objects which are classified as “useless” after they have filled their purposes and are destined to end up in bins. I’ve always had trouble not ignoring the waste. I like to recycle empty detergent bottle, which can easily be turned into Santa Claus. When I was a child, I liked to build furniture and vacuums for my dolls or gifts for parents from a small paper box, such as a pillbox.
I like to design new things when I am inspired by a new process, the merit of creativity moves me and I have endeavoured to find an original way to make little ones happy by giving them a new toy that I have made or we have created together. I am always overwhelmed with joy when I see my grandkids smiling and playing with their new toys.
This horsey reminds both adults and children of those traditional Hungarian bedtime stories in which the horse was the main character, and children like playing these tales with their friends. Even by holding this horsey in our hand, makes kids and adults neighing, prompting kids to tell a tale. Stories play a vital role in the growth and development of children. Tales have been passed down from one generation to another, that’s how heroes stay with us and revive the knight, the warrior in us.
Here in Hungary, I participate in a workshop as a teacher every first Sunday during Summer Holiday where I create this horsey with kids, parents and grandparents. This workshop is a sort of entertainment for all age groups, and the organisers invite bands to hold a concert, troupes to perform a piece for kids and various artists to set up stalls where all participants can learn how to make a toy based on traditions.
It might be difficult to come to Hungary right now and take this workshop here with me, but I am excited to be able to bring my piece of Hungary and a big dollop of creativity to you!
Please note: This Workshop is geared toward children ages 6+ who will be able to have an adult help with some aspects of the preparation of materials, as well as with certain tasks during the project making part of the Workshop (ie. punching holes through either cardboard or bottle caps, tying knots).