Goose feathers and green ink

Having studied the beautiful handwriting in the Lincolne letters, it was time for the children to find out what it might be like to write in pen and ink.

Using a selection of goose, duck and pheasant feathers, Caitlin showed the group how to sharpen the end of the feather into a nib and then decorate the shaft with coloured wire and tape.

Then it was time to try them out.

The captions, ‘Spikey and old fashioned’, ‘Rough but satisfying’ and ‘Elegant’ were all comments made by the children when asked what it felt like to write with a quill.

Next we put on some music and for the next 8 minutes they immersed themselves in mark making in time to, among others, Penguin Cafe and The Blue Danube.

‘This is the best experience I’ve had all day,’ said one student, whilst others called the experience ‘joyful’, ‘amazing’, ‘adventurous’ and ‘impressive’.

One pupil said ‘It’s made me feel myself’.

It’s half term next week, so we’ll be off and getting ready for the second half of term, in which the children will visit the Halesworth and District Museum and see some of the Lincolne letters for themselves.