Celebrating 20 years of Artsmark with Grimm & Co

Written by Gemma Thornton, Grimm & Co

Courtesy of Grimm & Co.

Grimm & Co was commissioned by Artsmark to contribute to their Day to Create pack, which launched in schools around the country on 6th July 2022

The Case of the Missing Memories achieved the following:

• The creation of an immersive, sensory project, accessed by all
• The exploration of a range of literary forms that aligned with National Curriculum objectives
• The development of socio-linguistic skills in children and young people (CYP) through our signature pedagogy
• An intricate, authentic design that Grimm & Co prides itself on

Day to Create

Courtesy of Grimm & Co.

Day to Create was an opportunity for CYP to engage in creative projects away from formally structured lessons. The pack explored various forms of creative writing that was purposeful and immersive in its production. The provocation was as follows:

Grimm & Co was founded in 1148 (just before lunchtime) by Graham Grimm and he needs your help. Bits of his story have done a runner. Scarpered. Literally fallen off the page. In his wise old age, he’s struggling to remember core memories.

As well as creating a purposeful and imaginative experience, I was mindful that this opportunity could spread Grimm & Co’s core values to educational settings beyond our current geographical sphere. It was important that the pack mirrored our multi-modal approach to Literacy.

We ensured that the project was:

• Inventive, imaginative, and transformative
• Child-led
• Adapted for all ages and abilities
• Inclusive
• Embedded flexibility
• ACE’s CREATE principles were embedded

Ink Print Solutions created the physical packs for Artsmark and as they were being delivered to schools all around the country, they needed to be completed by March 2022. This tight turnaround was a challenge for us when writing the creative content and for our designer (Luxworks) to get all the information across to the Artsmark team.

Seeing the packs in action

Courtesy of Grimm & Co.

I attended Brinsworth Howarth Primary School, Rotherham on Day to Create. It was inspiring to see KS2 teachers interact with the packs, interpreting them in various ways. They used their own expertise and practice to tailor activities further. We believe this is due to the clear and concise teacher instructions.

Throughout the day, the team at Grimm & Co was blown away by the reception of our pack from schools all over the country. The varied, inventive interpretations highlighted what can be achieved when teachers are given ‘permission’ to transform their classroom into a space for creative exploration.

I plan to develop The Case of the Missing Memories further over the next year, working in consultation with schools to offer a tool of empowerment in the classroom. In the 22-23 academic year, a teacher learning programme will include: teacher resources to sell in our shop; education conferences that we will host in our Emporium of Stories; and teacher learning raids encouraging creative courage in the classroom.

Courtesy of Grimm & Co.