REFLECTIONS “It was an amazing project, kids were so excited every week” Parent of child/children ages 18months – 5yrs “We think it was a good idea especially in lockdown, because at least we have something to do and something new for the children. We so much enjoy it.” Parent of child/children ages 3-5yrs
“Iwas very happy to participate in the Little Bird Babble project. It was very rewarding to be involved in a group project such as this, to know that a lot of other people were involved in making and contributing to the project, and that my bird would be one unique carving among a collection of many. I like to think that my little bird made somebody smile, and that it might bring some comfort to a child during these challenging times. I was also glad to have something to work towards as we came out of the Covid restrictions of spring and early summer. So much of my work had been cancelled this year, and to have this project to contribute to, was a positive step back towards making and participating in the arts again.” Peter Nash – Artist/Sculptor, Back Water Artists Group “Iwas intrigued by the comfort birds element, birds were my companions over lock down. To carve a bird to be held and caressed in a child's hand, to form from wood, the pleasure of making a gift was doubled. I had an off cut of an old piece comfort to a child felt a way to give love and solidarity in tough times. I feel really moved by how you were able to creatively adapt your project during Covid and to re-devise such meaningful ways to engage the participants.” Louise Walsh – Artist/sculptor and Lecturer Co. Meath “It was incredibly rewarding to be able to give something directly to a child during lockdown.” Maud Cotter, Artist/Sculptor the National Sculpture Factory
AUDREY Wallaroo Child and Family Project “Iwas the manager of the children's creche/play school in Ashbourne House at the starting time of organising 'The Little Bird Babble' I mostly had correspondence with Rachel during the magnificent project that became 'The Bird Babble'. Rachel and her team of artists were a joy to work with, excellent communication skills as well as wonderful ideas and resources with other people and artist outside of the project who were all also very willing to add their talents when needed. I personally think that this says a lot about the positivity of Rachel and her team. It was a project that brought a great interest in nature and joy to the children of Ashbourne House. As it was started during our first Covid lockdown it was perfect for giving the children something to focus on, and the excitement of the next weeks tasks. I know the parents where so happy that so many people took the time and effort to remember their children during such a difficult time for all. I personally was very impressed that Rachel took all families into account, focused on individual ages, cultures and even the children's sweets were Halal, very important for our Muslim residents. The families really appreciate the respect shown to their religion. The project also followed our teaching framework of Alistair Recommended by Tulsa 'In covering and supporting the children's continued learning. I would highly recommend' The Little Bird Babble' to other groups of children and teachers, as I myself learned new avenues of passing on knowledge to the children in a fun and enjoyable way for them. I would like to thank Rachel, all the other artists, and friends who helped make the children's days extra special.”
MARA Wallaroo Child and Family Project “The Little Bird Babble Project started during the first lockdown and kept going until now. The start of the project was timed well as the families had a lot of time to do the different activities and appreciated to receive different ideas that engaged their children. The project was prepared so detailed and with so much love and creativity that even looking at the postbox or the letters made you feel excited and wanting to get started. Rachel, George and Fiona were very communicative and tried to interact with the families as much as possible. The children loved to see new videos of Gilbert and are up to this day very interested in watching the crows around Ashbourne. The children also enjoyed the music, especially the “hello” song and some children still sing it from time to time. They are so proud to hear someone singing their name and play it over and over. The “I´m a little crow” song is also a very lovely and relaxing song, which was too hard for us to sing ourselves, but was used regularly during Art activities – especially while painting the bird boxes. The project inspired the children to look around them and to observe the nature. It inspired learning and creativity. We had a lot of fun doing this and our experience was throughout positive. We are all very excited for the bird boxes to be put up and to watch birds move in. This will give us the possibility to learn even more about the nature around Ashbourne.” LAURA Wallaroo Child and Family Project “Ithink this project makes every child feel very special in doing some work and understanding of nature. They learned things they didn’t know before. The biggest prize is the smile on each child’s face when we talk about the Little Bird Babble Project.“
George Hanover Artist/Actor/ Theatre Maker “Iwas a collaborator and co-designer on Rachel Doolin’s Little Bird Babble. A project conceived in adapting to deliver meaningful engagements for the very young amidst a very unstable time for all. It became clear that delivering for all children at this Direct Provision centre was important. The project grew quickly which meant that it could engage participants which included parents for the summer months up until school was due to start. It would not have been possible without the support of management from the childcare setting in terms of trustful relationships. I supported Rachel in the project production and focused on storytelling, designing an activity ‘Tiny Worlds’ where children were tasked with finding little spaces outdoors where they might imagine a whole other world might exist. Children were encouraged to make up a story about worlds they found, take and send pictures of it through the very useful WhatsApp group. It was very important for the artists to build a genuine rapport albeit through video with the children and their parents in the beginning and we decided that each interaction from a child whether through that WhatsApp group or by the Little Bird Babble Postal Service would be responded to directly. We were also mindful of the new parents and offered Baby Babbler activities which were light touch and focused on stopping, taking time and being with their baby. Overall it was an intense but immensely rewarding experience during a very difficult time.
Fiona Kelleher Artist/composer/ musician “It was an interesting process in terms of the need to deliver the project remotely and all avenues of connecting were explored over the course of the project including video creation, postal delivery ,creation of bespoke packs and materials as well as social media groups to allow for interaction and response to activities and experiences. The songs delivered including a newly composed song for the project were inspired by responses from the group in the centre as well as our own experiences during the first lock down period. It was a great project to work on keeping the artistic spirit alive in trying times.” Rachel Doolin Visual Artist/ Project Designer/ Facilitator “Iwould like to thank all of the collaborators, participants and contributors of the Little Bird Babble project without whom this project would not have been possible. I am truly blown away by the individual efforts of the huge community of people who worked together but apart, in extraordinary circumstances to bring this project to life. You are all an absolute inspiration.
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