The Seashore Project

The Seashore Project is about discovering the place where the land meets the sea: a place of arrivals and departures, of beginnings and endings, of life in the water and on the land. The project engages school children in a fascinating exploration of their local coastline through art, drama, photography and digital media. To date children from three Arran primaries, Corrie, Kilmory and Pirnmill, and four mainland North Ayrshire schools, Glencairn, Mayfield, Winton and James McFarlane have taken part.

Every stretch of Arran’s coastline has a story to tell, from the fossils, raised beaches and unusual geology to the stories of smuggling and herring fishing. There are resident and visiting seabirds and marine creatures and all kinds of interesting plants, on shore and in the shallows.

Across the Clyde the three towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston have their own close connections with the sea. In times gone by they have been centres for coal mining, ship and yacht construction, fishing and trade.

The Schools

Corrie Primary is a small school situated in the village of Corrie on Arran’s rocky eastern coast. With the seashore just across the road from the school the 16 pupils are already familiar with many of the plants and animals to be found here.

Pirnmill’s school is also small and by the sea but here on the west side of Arran the coast is often battered by southwesterly gales. In fact sometimes the seashore washes right up on to the road outside the school. The whole school of 16 pupils took part in the project.

Kilmory School is located in the village of Kilmory at the south end of Arran. The P1/2/3 class of nine pupils joined in the project. Although it is not right by the sea there is a footpath behind the school that takes you down a glen, past a chambered cairn, to reach the sandy beach beneath the cliffs of Bennan Head.

Glencairn Primary is situated in Stevenston and is a short walk from the sand dunes and beach at Ardeer. The school has more than 250 pupils. The P4 class of 28 children took part in the project.

Mayfield Primary sits on the hill behind Saltcoats and looks down across the Clyde to Arran. There are 165 pupils in the school. The P4/3 class of 24 children took part in the project.

Winton Primary is located in the heart of Ardrossan. It has 164 pupils and 24 P6 pupils took part in the project.

James McFarlane School, situated in Ardrossan, has 23 pupils of whom four took part in the project, joining forces with Winton’s Primary Six.

Taking the classroom outdoors

Each participating school began the project with a day out doing field studies and research.

On Arran these days were spent on the seashore local to each school. Under the expert guidance of NTS Countryside Rangers the children explored rockpools, investigated in the seaweed and under rocks. Children learned about the natural processes of wind and sea that had created distinct coastal features. They were given an insight into geological and glacial processes. They learned about the birds, animals, insects and plants on the land, and the marine creatures in the rock pools, which are dependant on these habitats.

They carried out transect studies and used binoculars to observe the wildlife. Working with local artists the children took photographs, listened to the sounds of the seashore, made sketches of wildflowers and took plaster casts of shells.

The mainland schools visited Ardeer beach where they learned about the sand dune habitat from local ranger Alistair Murdoch. Working with the Arran Arts Resource team the children spent time exploring, gathering material washed up on the beach and creating dramatic stories about adventures at sea. In the afternoon the children visited the Scottish Maritime Museum where they learned about navigation from museum volunteers, watched boat engines being restored, and found out about the different boats and machines and industries that have played a part in Scotland’s marine history.

Working with professional artists

Back in school each group continued the project with visits from Arran Arts Resource (Ed O’Donnelly, Josephine Broekhuizen and Sarah Cook). Over a period of about six weeks the children explored different aspects of the seashore theme through a variety of arts activities.

Developing Ideas

The Arran schools focused on the natural world of the seashore. Using a digital microscope they were able to examine the fascinating detail, patterns and textures on objects like shells and crab’s claws, collected on the beach. Using computer software they created digital music arrangements inspired by the sounds of waves, wind, sea birds and rock pool creatures. These compositions were then used in drama activities as the children explored the shapes, movement and interaction of different creatures. In artwork the children created collages of rock pool scenes; they made watercolour paintings of seaweed and modelled clay into shells and pots with decoration inspired by the theme.

The mainland schools each looked at a different aspect of the seashore theme.

Mayfield P4/3 class found out about connections between the three towns industrial past (salt-making, rope-making, ship-building and fishing) and the sea. The children then used these themes to express their ideas through the arts activities. Working with Josephine they learned about printing and made prints of machine parts. In drama they used role play to explore the lives of workers in a ship building yard and life aboard a trading vessel threatened by pirates.

Glencairn P4 class investigated sea travel, finding out about the skills of navigation and sea craft. In drama they re-enacted the journey of W.S Bruce, the scientist and explorer, from the Clyde to Antarctica. Their artwork included

painting, printing and clay modelling.

Winton P6 class and the James McFarlane group

In drama activities the children used poetry and scripts to stimulate their own short plays about smuggling on the Clyde. In digital media they examined marine creatures through a microscope and captured images. They learn basic skills in navigation and produced digital music to suggest the many sounds heard on the seashore.

Sharing Days

At the conclusion of the Arran and mainland projects the schools came together to share their work. This was an interesting event as each group had developed different ideas so it was an opportunity for everyone to find out what the Seashore Project had become in each participating school.

There was an exhibition of the artwork, which included watercolour paintings, printing, fish puppets and clay pots, and a documentary film following each school as they developed the project from beginning to end, showing the visits to the beaches, the research and ensuing arts activities, and the participants reflecting on their experiences of the project.