Creative stories, artistic encounters & environmental explorations for Under 5's and their families.

In response to recent cuts Children's Centres, arts organisation and play development teams across the county, The Devon Carousel Project is a collaborative community arts initiative providing high quality participatory arts and environmental activities enriching, lives, building confidence and self-esteem to help individuals fulfil their potential, combating barriers to taking part, be they economic, social, cultural or access.

Why the community needs this charity

Throughout an experimental and explorative pilot year, working in partnership with targeted Exeter Children's Centres (http://www.surestartexeter.org.uk), experienced local artists and eduactors will work creatively with the early years' community to create new stories aimed at pre-schoolers through exploration of cross-discipline art forms, nurturing self-expression, confidence and good communication skills, stirring both adult and child's imaginations whilst promoting adult-child attachment.

Results and outcomes

Throughout the year, we will create shadowing opportunities for volunteers, parents, caregivers and staff, who, with continued support, can potentially deliver creative sessions themselves, making the project sustainable. Resulting in a collection of bespoke, tailor made creative arts encounters unique to each community, the pilot year will culminate in a mass participation celebration at Exeter Respect Festival 2012 including exhibition, workshops, performances, discussions and film screenings.

Latest activities and projects

Sponsor a Carousel T-shirt

Help our families know who our artists, trainees and volunteers are with some branded T-shirts. From 25th september any £10 which is donated after 10am will be matched by Localgiving whilst matched funds allow. We aim to raise £330 to buy 20 T-shirts. read more

St Sidwells Carousel Session

We have been running regular creative sessions at St Sidwells Community Centre since January 2012. The group is city centre based and aims to be accessible to everyone with the aim of creating activities appealing to parents and children alike. Each series of sessions is based around a theme providing a story and thread which link the sessions and take the families on a journey of discovery. Parents and children participate together thus strengthening the child-parent bond. read more

Dad's Group

Carousel will be running a woodland themed dad's group at Beacon Heath Children's Centre in September/October 2012. Appealing to father's and young children alike, we will be running participatory woodland arts and crafts activities - tea light lanterns, willow bird feeders...Firecraft & cooking - bread on a stick, biscuits cooked in leaves. A group tip to Woodland Fun will be run on the last week: www.woodlandfun.com read more

Stoke Canon Scallywags

This ocean-themed series of sessions will exploring the wonders of the sea, designed to increase young children's knowledge and understanding of the ocean, its creatures, the local fishers that depend on it and the threats they all face. The Stoke Canon Scallywags will run every Tuesdays 9.30-11 (term-time) and starts on 11th September. read more

Carousel Family Arts Day

Building on the creative work we have been doing with the under-5s and their families, we want to host an Exeter-based participatory arts event during National Family Week in August 2013 to engage and inspire the whole family and the local community. Using a core team of artists, who have been collaborating on a range of projects for Carousel, we will offer a range of exciting activities and workshops aimed at involving the whole community. read more

Beacon Heath Family Allotment

Working collaboratively to develop characters, create stories and educate families about the benefits of sustainable food-growing and healthy eating (see How our Allotment Grows -http://vimeo.com/30555795), sessions will focus on developing puppets, animation and movement alongside planting and allotment maintenance, enabling young children to contextualise their learning. Families will be able to grow, harvest, cook and eat their own food, celebrating their achivements at Exeter Food Festival read more

Whipton Wildlife Garden

Continuing our efforts to transform our garden into an environmental haven of food and wildlife, we'll incorporate dens, mounds, dips, willow tunnels, animal homes including bird and a Wildlife Pond. Via webcam and other high quality participatory arts activities, (see http://vimeo.com/32384918) young children will monitor the wildlife which our 'outdoor classroom' naturally attracts, enabling first hand contact with nature whilst learning how to tackle the problems threatening our environment. read more