Disguise. Reveal. Connect.

I was working with a group of pupils in a primary school in Blackburn today, exploring ways of making their new 'natter, chatter room' into a stimulating and creative place. I wanted to find a way of encouraging them to be playful, work big and change the space quickly and dramatically. I set them a challenge, with each group selecting (without seeing it) one word, two parts of the room to work with and a roll of coloured paper.
The groups of words were
Disguise. Ceiling. Wall.
Reveal. Windows. 3 corners.
Connect. 2 people. Floor.
The work they made was great, so full of imagination and ambition and we followed this with a discussion about the space, the experience and what we had learned. I will be working with them again soon and am really looking forward to it.
I took lots of red cards with me (I had reasons, but they are too dull to go into) and I was gutted when one of the group gave me a red card 'For being old'. I was hurt to the core, but relieved when the others in the group gave him a red card for it! By the end of the session I seemed to be getting red cards just for being me. I mean, I know I can be annoying, but really!!!