HistoryPLAY: Learning while Playing

The educational project was an opportunity to actively and creatively explore the history, where a traditional lecture became an active exchange of ideas between participants. Classes were held in the form of games, creative workshops, trainings, and research projects.

The program was designed for two age groups: younger (7-9 years old) and older (10-15 years old).

We invited younger children to participate in the School of Animation. Children together with the instructors developed and created an animated film "Tales of My City." They worked on all stages, from the development of ideas, set design, collection of materials, visualization of images to the direct creation process. Of course, all this was done with the help of a group of professional illustrators, animators, and artists. The program allowed participants to see a different view of the city, where history turned into new legends and visual images. After the completion of the project, we will present a film that was created together.

The program for the older group, "Touching History: Seeing, Hearing, and Feeling the Past," was a way to show the history of the city through individual/personal experiences, using family histories, memories, and photo/video materials from the past. The program included interesting tours, discussions, and practical workshops. Among the topics were "The Past in Photographs: From the Studio to Instagram," "What Does the Map Tell Us?" "Oral History: Witnessing History." There were also meetings with historians, researchers, and project managers of the Center for Urban History. Participants worked with the Center’s visual materials, gained a new experience from the researchers while "discovering" the history of their families, and ultimately, saw history as an exciting adventure. During the classes, the teenagers prepared a joint project research "The History of the City Through Family History," which will be presented on January 30, 2015.

Our instructors:
Khrystyna Boyko – coordinator of the Center’s educational projects
Roman Dzvonkovsky – designer, videographer, has experience shooting documentary films, works with computer animation
Sofia Filipchuk – illustrator, decorator
Oksana Demkiv – artist, restorer, teacher, organizer of workshops

For more information about the Center’s educational activities, please contact the project coordinator Khrystyna Boyko by phone (0972099267) or e-mail [email protected].