The packs will be distributed to foodbanks and community centres across the City of London and neighbouring boroughs to provide materials to families who may not have online access or play resources.
The first pack, aimed at primary aged children is also available to download now and will be followed by a pack each month over the summer.
The colourful activity bundles, designed by Dan Cottrell Studio, will include a range of activities from Culture Mile’s core partners – Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra, and Museum of London – as well as partners from the City Family Arts Network, Culture Mile Learning, and partners from its wider artist network.
There is also a range of beautifully designed Playful Prompts with suggestions for easy fun ideas that families can do together, either, without involving any special equipment or that you can do with everyday household objects. The packs contain a range of creative materials that families can use with activities in the pack or to make masterpieces of their own, including chalk, stickers, crayons, and glue sticks.
Pack one contains contributions from Andy Field and Beckie Darlington, Anorak Magazine, Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning, Billingsgate Roman House & Baths, City of London Open Spaces, City of London Police Museum, Islington Play Association, London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, Museum of the Order of St John, Museum of London, National Literacy Trust, Originary Arts, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Monument, Tower Bridge, UP Projects, and ZCD Architects.
There is also a wealth of creative resources aimed at young people from across the Culture Mile core partners.
The Museum of London is creating a range of online and offline entertainment and learning with the Museum of Fundon, specially designed for families, as part of a wider series of activities launched during lockdown
https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/families/fun-home
Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning is providing several free digital initiatives while the Barbican and Guildhall School buildings are temporarily closed, making sure that students, young people and families can continue to engage with the programme online.
Some of the online activities and content already available include a Family Film Club workshop, inspired by The Wizard of Oz; an online printing workshop run by Billy Mann, a member of brain injury charity Headway East London, based on Barbican Art Gallery exhibition Masculinities: Liberation through Photography; as well as a new music album on Mixcloud, featuring original music created and recorded by young people aged 14-16 years about their experiences growing up in east London, as part of Barbican Box, its flagship schools programme.
Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning will continue to work closely with artists, young people, and community organisations to create more digital content over the coming weeks. See barbican.org.uk/read-watch-listen.
The City of London Corporation:
Barbican and Community Libraries have built a library without walls, with online activities, resources and meet-ups available for all ages. Barbican Children’s Library have held Virtual Rhymetimes, reaching thousands of people all over the world through its Facebook and Youtube Channels, as well as weekly STEAM activities, book clubs and creative writing competitions
London Metropolitan Archives’
This website also provides free access to over 250,000 historical prints, maps and photographs of London, ranging from 1450 to the 1980s , as well as a number of free educational resources on the TES website.
London Symphony Orchestra
LSO has a range of resources for schools, families and young people on LSO Discovery. The award-winning* LSO Play is a free interactive and immersive web app, allowing people to experience the LSO on stage at the Barbican – anytime, anywhere, viewing the orchestra from four camera angles simultaneously, as well as masterclasses with LSO players, listening guides and teacher resource packs also available to download from tes.com.
When lockdown was announced, LSO also shifted its popular children’s group online, with its Shake, Rattle & Roll music workshop for babies and under 5s booked up for the summer instantly
Culture Mile is the City of London’s cultural district, stretching from Farringdon to Moorgate, led by the City of London Corporation, with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of London. Together, the five partners are creating a vibrant, creative area in the north-west corner of the Square Mile. Visit https://www.culturemile.london for more information