labyrinth - Scarlet Theatre

labyrinth
KS2 Teachers’ Resource
A cross-curricular selection
of teaching ideas and materials
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KS2 Teachers’ Pack - Labyrinth
Contents
About Scarlet Theatre
About the Labyrinth Project
Section 1: Introduction to the labyrinth
Section 2: Choice and the labyrinth
Section 3: Trust and the labyrinth
Section 4: The labyrinth and the senses
Section 5: The story of the labyrinth
Section 6: A labyrinthine journey
Section 7: How to make a labyrinth
Section 8: Appendix
- Internet resources
- Keywords
- National Curriculum links
- Acknowledgements
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KS2 Teachers’ Pack - Labyrinth
About Scarlet Theatre
Scarlet has produced a canon of highly
artistic imaginative work, which has toured
nationally and internationally. The Company
is constantly evolving in response to the
creativity that new and established artists
bring to projects. Over the past five years
Scarlet has collaborated with companies
from Barcelona, Dublin and Krakow and
has become a key partner with Creative
Partnerships London North.
In addition to theatre Scarlet creates sitespecific
performances in a variety of nontheatre
spaces including schools (Highgate
Wood 2008) galleries (National Portrait
Gallery, Tate, Whitechapel Gallery) and public
buildings such as Alexandra Palace and
Artsdepot.
Scarlet leads workshops for professional and nonprofessional
groups and offers a range of workshops
and discussions around each production.
Scarlet aims to:
• Explore new ways of ensemble working;
• Forge dynamic collaborations with artists;
• Contribute to the wider debate on contemporary
theatre through achieving a distinctive style of
theatre and through attracting academic interest in
our work.
For further information about
the project and Scarlet Theatre
please contact:
Gráinne Byrne,
Director,
Scarlet Theatre,
Studio 4,
The Bull,
68 High Street
Barnet,
EN5 5SJ.
The Chairwomen, 2007
Tel: 020 8441 9779
Fax: 020 8447 0075
e-mail: admin@scarlettheatre.co.uk
www.scarlettheatre.co.uk
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KS2 Teachers’ Pack - Labyrinth
About the Labyrinth Project
Teachers’ notes
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About the Labyrinth
The labyrinth is an ancient geometric pattern
that has a powerful symbolic significance in
many different cultures. The labyrinth shape
is usually laid onto the ground and walked
through, but a smaller version can also be traced
with the fingers. There is only one way in and
out of the labyrinth, and after walking it you
reach one central point. The path winds around
in a mysterious manner and eventually reaches
the centre, whereupon you retrace your steps
to leave the labyrinth along the same path you
originally took. Once inside a labyrinth, you
cannot get lost; unlike a maze, which presents
choices at every turn, and is filled with dead
ends, the labyrinth has only one path leading in
and leading out.
Labyrinths are typically used as tools of
meditation and self-discovery. By surrendering
yourself to its twists and turns, you open up
space in your mind for contemplation. The
sensation of walking a labyrinth is bizarre
because you constantly feel that you are getting
further away from the centre, instead of closer
towards it.
The journey through the labyrinth can be seen
as a metaphor for the journey of life. Despite all
its twists and turns, which might seem to divert
you from your goal to reach the centre, the
labyrinth eventually leads you to the place you
set out for. Life itself might be viewed in a similar
way. The labyrinth also represents the journey
of learning or discovery. It may be hard to follow
the path and trust that it will lead in the right
direction, but eventually all your effort and
patience is paid off when you reach the centre.
About the Project
Scarlet’s Theatre project uses the magical
labyrinth experience as a starting point for a
creative journey into the unexpected, where
your senses are challenged and your ideas
about how things should be are overturned.
Director Gràinne Byrne leads pupils and
teachers through a series of multi-sensory,
thought provoking drama sessions, which build
up throughout the project to the creation of the
group’s very own labyrinth.
About this Pack
This resource pack accompanies the project
as an aid for teachers in the classroom. It is
presented as a series of different teaching
materials covering a range of curriculum areas.
The scheme of work can be taught as a whole
if required, or individual ideas can be taken out
and adapted to suit teachers’ requirements.
Each section contains activities that can be
used as starters, plenaries and methods of
assessment. Curriculum links for each section
are also included in the Appendix. Some of
the pages of the booklet can be reproduced
as handouts or displayed using an interactive
whiteboard.
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Section 1
Introduction to
the
labyrinth

Section 1 - Introduction to the labyrinth
Subject area suggestion: Art and Design
This section sets out to introduce pupils to
the creative and imaginative possibilities of
the labyrinth. One of the labyrinth’s most
interesting qualities is that it can be used
in more or less any way you like, so it is a
perfect tool to bring out pupils’ imaginative
interpretations of an image. In this activity,
pupils can look at an image of a labyrinth,
use their imaginations to interpret it, draw
their own labyrinth and comment on their
experience of ‘walking’ the labyrinth.
Activity One:
Look at the picture of the labyrinth
(worksheet 1).
Activity Three:
The labyrinth looks difficult to draw but in fact it
is quite easy if you stick to the guidelines. Using
worksheet 2, have a go yourself at drawing the
classical labyrinth shape.
Activity Four:
Trace the path of the labyrinth with your fingers.
Discuss the following questions in pairs
or as a whole class:
How did you find the experience of
following the path?
What did you notice about the shape
of the path?
Imagine that you had been walking along it.
How might your feelings have been different?
Questions for discussion:
What do you think the purpose of this is?
How could you use it?
What kinds of people might use it?
What does it remind you of?
Activity Two:
This is a labyrinth. A labyrinth is a special kind
of maze with one path in and one path out. It
has been used in many different cultures as a
very special object.
Here are some ways in which a labyrinth has
been used before in real life and in stories:
• A trap for an evil spirit or monster to
keep them under control;
• A path to walk when feeling
angry or confused;
• A place to pray as you walk;
• A way of solving a puzzle in your mind;
• A design for jewellery and coins;
• A design for a garden.
See if you can add some more uses of your
own in.
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Section 1 - Introduction to the labyrinth
Worksheet 1: labyrinth
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Section 1 - Introduction to the labyrinth
Worksheet 2: how to draw a labyrinth
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Section 2
Choice and the
labyrinth

Section 2 - Choice and the labyrinth
Subject area suggestion: English EN1 and
Citizenship
This section explores the fundamental
differences between the labyrinth and the
maze. It builds on the idea that the maze is
an experience with many choices to be made,
none of which have a clear consequence. Once
pupils have explored the differences between
the labyrinth and the maze, they can then go
on to explore the issues involved in making
choices in real life.
Activity One:
1. Using worksheet 3, trace your path along
the labyrinth and again along the conventional
maze. What differences can you spot about the
experience?
2. Imagine that you are really walking in the
maze and the labyrinth. Discuss with your
partner the different feelings you experience.
See how many feelings you can suggest
together.
Activity Two:
When you walk a labyrinth there is only one
choice to be made; whether or not to enter, but
when you walk a maze, there is a choice to be
made at every turn.
The choices you have to make in the maze are
unusual because you can’t use any logic or
common sense to decide which path to take.
Sometimes in life you can plan to make a good
choice. At other times, it is difficult to know what the
outcome will be.
In the following exercise, you should discuss
each situation.
How important is each choice?
What possible outcomes could there be?
Is it easy or difficult to guess what the outcome
will be?
• John decides to pick 20, 39 and 4 as his lottery
numbers for the week.
• Zoe picks cornflakes for her breakfast.
• Alice doesn’t do her homework.
• Baskaran decides to take the children to school in
the car instead of on the bus.
• Frank runs away from home.
• Tamara agrees to smoke a cigarette with
her older sister.
• Anita offers to help an elderly lady
carry her shopping.
• The O’Connelly family decide move
to West London.
• Bella’s parents ask her whom she would prefer to
live with, and she chooses her father.
Activity Three:
1. See if you can think of five choices you have
made this week. Pick two, and think about what the
different outcomes might have been.
2. Have you ever made an important choice in your
life? Discuss with your partner what it felt like, how
you decided what to do and whether you think it
was a good choice.
3. Have you ever felt like you had no choice when
you wanted one? Discuss with your partner what
this felt like.
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Section 2 - Choice and the labyrinth
Worksheet 3: maze and labyrinth
Maze
Labyrinth
1. What differences can you spot in the ways the
labyrinth and the maze work?
2. Can you solve the maze puzzle?
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Section 3
Trust and the
labyrinth

Section 3 - Trust and the labyrinth
Subject area suggestion: English (Drama)
and PSHE
This section builds on the idea that a labyrinth
will always lead you safely to the centre and
back out again. Drama exercises that build
trust are combined with discussion and
activities based on images of situations in
which trust is needed.
Activity One:
When you are in a maze, you reach a turning,
but you cannot trust that it will lead you in
the right direction. In a labyrinth however,
whenever you reach a turning, you know
it is the right one, and that it is leading you
towards the centre. So you can have trust
in the labyrinth that you will not get lost.
Sometimes it is hard to trust the labyrinth
though, as you often seem to be getting
further and further from the centre, instead of
closer to it.
Questions for discussion:
1. When you walk the labyrinth, do you feel
confident that it will lead you safely to the
centre and back again?
2. What do you think trust is?
3. Why is trust important?
4. Why should you think carefully about who
or what to trust in life?
Activity Three:
In pairs, one of you is blindfolded. The other
becomes the guide. First they can lead you
around the room by holding your shoulders.
Once you feel confident with this, the guide can
try leading just by touching your fingers. Finally,
if you really trust each other, the guide can lead
just by describing where you should to move
to.
Activity Four:
Look at the pictures in worksheet 4. Each of
these situations involves trust. What kind of
trust do you think is in each picture? Look for as
many different types of trust as you can find.
Activity Five:
Use worksheet 5 to create your own circle of
trust image. You can include people, objects,
religious figures or even weather. It is entirely
up to you. Of course there are many places and
people you should not trust, but for now just
focus on people, places and objects that you do
feel confident in.
Activity Two:
This is a trust building exercise which can be
done with a partner. A pencil is held between
each of you, balanced on your index (pointing)
fingers. How long can you keep the pencil safe
before it drops? You must both work together.
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Section 3 - Trust and the labyrinth
Worksheet 4: images of trust
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Section 3 - Trust and the labyrinth
Worksheet 5: circle of trust
My circle of trust
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Section 4
The labyrinth
and the senses

Section 4 - The labyrinth and the senses
Subject area suggestion: English (Drama)
This section is closely linked to the activities that
Scarlet will do in the workshops. Drawing on the
sensation that is felt when walking the labyrinth,
Scarlet will explore ideas of confusion of the senses,
and encourage the pupils to make creative leaps of
the imagination as a result. Included here are drama
activities which explore the senses being overturned
or challenged, and some exercises based on the
concept of synesthesia; a literary technique as well
as a neurological condition.
Activity One:
In the labyrinth, you often feel unsure about where
you are, and how far you have to go. Your senses are
being tricked by the shape of the labyrinth.
Try out some of these exercises to release the
creativity in your senses:
1. Your sense of smell:
Pick up your pen, close your eyes, and smell it. What
does it smell of? Does it smell similar to anything
else? Now try with another object that you would
not normally sniff! What do you notice? Try this with
a partner blinfolded and offer them objects to smell.
Can they recognise what the objects are?
2. Your sense of taste:
At lunch or at home, try some food with your
eyes closed. Eat it very slowly, and concentrate
on all the different flavours you can spot. Does
it taste of anything unusual, like sand, or car
seats? You will surprised what you notice
when you really concentrate.
3. Your sense of touch:
Work with a partner. One of you will be blindfolded.
The other person should carefully present everyday
objects for the blindfolded partner to feel. Using
only one finger, they should explore the object
carefully, explaining exactly what temperatures,
textures and shapes the object has. Which of the
objects feels the most interesting to you?
4. Your sense of sight:
You will need a hand held mirror. Walk around the
room with a partner. Your partner will guide you,
whilst you will hold the mirror flat in front of you (at
the angle of a table) and look down. How does the
world look and feel from this angle?
5. Your sense of hearing:
Close your eyes and listen. How many sounds
can you hear? Listen even more carefully, are
there any sounds that you hadn’t noticed before?
Pick a journey you do often such as from your
kitchen to your bedroom, or from your desk to
the playground. Next time you go on the journey,
concentrate very carefully on the sounds that you
hear. Now describe the journey to your partner
using only sounds. You are not allowed to refer to
anything that you can see- only sounds. How easy
do you find this?
6. All your senses.
Take a stone, or a similarly simple object, then look
up at the sky. What can you see in the sky that is
also in the stone? Now look back at the stone, what
can else can you see in it that is like the sky. Keep
looking back and forth. After a while, your stone
will seem so similar to the sky that it will be your
‘photograph’ of the sky. Do this with any object of
your choice.
Activity Two:
Some people have an interesting condition called
synesthesia. People who have this condition mix up
their senses in ways that most people are unable
to do. For example, they might taste foods when
they hear certain words, or they might associate
particular sounds with colours, so that every time
they see the colour red, they hear a drum beat.
Poets often use the idea of synesthesia to make
their writing more interesting. Let your imagination
do all the work in the following exercises.
1. Look at worksheet 6. Look carefully at each of the
colours for 20 seconds. What sounds do you think
of? For each of the colours, write down the sounds
that you think match the colour best. Now compare
notes with your partner or group.
2. Worksheet 7 contains a series of sounds. When
your teacher presses the link to the sound, listen
carefully. What do you think the sound tastes of?
Write down the taste of each sound. Listen to the
sounds again, and after each one, compare notes
with your partner.
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Section 4 - The labyrinth and the senses
Worksheet 6: colours and sounds
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Section 4 - The labyrinth and the senses
Worksheet 7: sounds and tastes
Click on each box to hear the sounds.
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Section 5
The story of
the labyrinth

Section 5 - The story of the labyrinth
Subject Area Suggestion: English EN2
This section looks at the history of the labyrinth
as well as one of the most famous stories
featuring a labyrinth; Theseus and the Minotaur.
The aim of this section is to encourage pupils
to create new ideas from ancient myths and
legends.
Activity One:
Exploring labyrinths around the world:
The most well known labyrinth in history is the
one in the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. It
is thought to have really existed in Crete nearly
3000 years ago.
Strangely, at the same time in America, a Native
American tribe called the Tonoho O’odham
created a very similar structure, which was
always shown with a man in the middle.
The very first labyrinth pattern is thought to
have come from India, though, with evidence of
a similar shape being used as long as 4500 years
ago as a religious symbol.
1. Can you find Crete, North America and India
on a map or globe? How do you think it is
possible that labyrinths were invented in all
these places at the same time?
Activity Two:
Look at the pictures of labyrinths on worksheet
8. Can you design a modern Labyrinth? What
could you do to make the design suitable for the
modern day?
Activity Three:
Read the story of Theseus and the Minotaur with
your class. There are some activities and questions
for discussion at the end.
Suggested further activities:
1. Write your own labyrinth story. What can be
found in the centre of your labyrinth, if anything?
2. Find out more abour Daedalus, the carpenter
who made the labyrinth. Write two paragraphs
about Daedalus’ life to add into the story.
3. As a whole class, make suggestions on the
board of different ideas and objects that you
would include in a labyrinth myth. See if you can
write a story as a whole class.
4. Look at the illustration of the Minotaur. How
would you draw him? Draw your own illustration
for the story.
2. Labyrinth and maze designs occurred in many
different places around the world long ago. The
people who designed them would not have
been able to contact each other by telephone
or internet, or even letter. Why do you think
they all came up with similar designs? What do
you think this might tell us about the human
imagination?
3. Another mythical object that appears in
almost all cultures is the dragon. Why do you
think humans all over the world invented
dragons as creatures in their stories?
4. Using your different cultural and religious
backgrounds, see how many traditions, stories
and creatures you can find that are the same or
similar to those in other cultures.
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Section 5 - The story of the labyrinth
Worksheet 8: labyrinths from around the world
LABYRINTHS
Labyrinths are found in many cultures as far back as 3500 BC. Unlike a maze, the labyrinth is unicursal,
having a single path leading to the center with no loops, cul-de-sacs or forks.
This Labyrinth is a scale replica of an ancient labyrinth constructed around 1200 AD in the stone floor of
Chartres Cathedral, France.
Medieval Christians visited Chartres (and other cathedrals) and walked the labyrinth as an alternative to
taking a hazardous pilgrimage to Jerusalem to walk in the “foot steps of Christ.”
Modern “pilgrims“ walk the labyrinthine path as one of many tools to enhance prayer, contemplation,
meditation, and/or personal growth.
WALKING A LABYRINTH
There is not a 'required way' to walk a labyrinth. The beauty of the labyrinth is that people can
approach the experience on their own terms. However, as a guideline, we often break the ‘walk’
into three stages.
Entering: (also referred to as shedding or purgation.) During this stage you walk the path toward
the center, and should 'center yourself' by trying to put aside worldly concerns and quiet the mind.
Illumination: The time spent in the center. This is a time of openness and peacefulness; you
experience, learn or receive what this unique moment offers. Take your time. Let your inner spirit
determine when to leave the center.
Union: The journey outward. You choose when to leave the center, following the same path.
This is a time to consider what occurred in the center and how it may be applied in your life.
Sometimes a fourth stage is described representing life outside the labyrinth; the world where your
experience or illumination will affect your future.
FINGER-WALKING A PERSONAL LABYRINTH
Begin by setting the environment. Find a comfortable chair, location, or position. Remove
jewelry, watches, bracelets, etc. Set music or background sounds. Adjust the lighting. Acquaint
yourself with the labyrinth, pass your hands over the edges, across the center and around the outer
edge; examine the details that make this labyrinth unique.
Adapt your breathing, and begin tracing the path from the outside with one or more fingers,
following the groove/path toward the center. When you arrive at the center, stay a while.
Complete your experience by retracing the path from the center outward.
PAXWORKS - PERSONAL LABYRINTHS
PAXWORKS has utilized modern CAD/CAM technology and a little old-fashioned 'obsessionwith-details'
to create an extremely accurate 18-inch Chartres- style Personal Labyrinth. It is
constructed of quality hardwoods and hand-finished with a durable satin finish. The natural
materials make this labyrinth unique in all creation. Store it in a place of honor, hang it on the
wall as a fine piece of artwork, display it as a contemplation piece.
PAXWORKS - Works Of Peace - http://www.paxworks.com
The Chartres Labyrinth:
a medieval Christian pattern
A tattoo of the Native American
‘Man in the Maze’ Labyrinth
What would a 21st Century English labyrinth look like?
Idea 1 Idea 2
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Section 5 - The story of the labyrinth
Theseus and the Minotaur
L
ong ago in Ancient Greece, in the days of monsters and miracles,
there lived two powerful kings, King Aegeus of Athens and King
Minos of Crete.
King Minos was a very unhappy man. Every day he mourned, because
he had lost the most precious thing in his life: his son. Not long before,
his beloved son had been killed by ruffians on the streets of the great
city of Athens. In his grief, Minos looked for a person to blame for his
son’s death. So who do you think he chose? None other than King
Aegeus, the famed King of Athens, of course. Aegeus ruled Athens
fairly and kindly, but nonetheless, Minos felt that Aegeus owed him a
payment in return for the death of his son. So night after night, as the
sun slept, King Minos plotted a cunning plan to fill King Aegeus with
sorrow, a sorrow as deep as his own.
Minos also had another problem. The Gods had been weaving their
magic again, and his wife had given birth to a weird creature with the
head of a bull and the body of a man. This evil being was terrifying the
people of Crete, who called him Minotaur, which meant ‘half man, half
bull’. Day after day they fled to the smallest corners of their houses
when they heard his lonely tread in the street.
So Minos decided to kill two birds with one stone. The Minotaur had
to be taken off the streets of Crete, so he commissioned a famous
carpenter called Daedalus to fashion a labyrinth. The beast would
be hidden away in the very centre of this spiralling structure. But a
beast needs to eat, and more often than not, the flesh of man is the
only thing that will do. So clever Minos sent a message to Aegeus
saying that he must provide seven of the youngest and most beautiful
Athenians every year to keep the Minotaur fat and content. What
choice did Aegeus have? His citizens had killed Minos’ son and he was
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Section 5 - The story of the labyrinth
worried that if he disobeyed he would be attacked and the terrible
horns of battle would sound in his peaceful palace. So every year he
sent seven men and women of Athens to their deaths at the heart of
the beast’s lair.
One year, Aegeus’ son, the merciless and proud Theseus, heard that
his father was selecting Athenians to send to the Minotaur’s labyrinth.
Theseus was outraged that his father had continued to pay this
sacrifice to Minos year after year. He begged his father to let him go
with the young people, and promised that he would return with them
all alive and well.
Fathers are usually reluctant to send their sons into the lair of a
monster, and Aegeus was no exception. He grumbled and sighed but
eventually Theseus had his way, and his father grudgingly allowed
him to join the group of young Athenians headed for Crete.
Down on the shore, just as Theseus was about to set sail, Aegeus
made him promise to change the sail of his boat to pure white canvas
if all had gone well. If the boat returned clothed in its usual black,
Aegeus would know that his son had died.
When Theseus and the troop of young Athenians arrived in Crete,
they were greeted by Minos and his young daughter Ariadne.
Immediately, there was a bolt of electricity between the handsome
young Theseus and Minos’ beautiful, saffron haired daughter. They
were unable to tear their eyes from the other’s gaze. All the time
Minos was barking out his bitter commands, Theseus’ mind was
closed to everything but the wonder of Ariadne.
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That night, the Athenians were due to be sent into the labyrinth to
meet their grim fate. But Ariadne was not going to relinquish her love
on the very same day that it had begun, so she stole into Theseus’
chamber and instructed him carefully: he was to take a ball of string
into the labyrinth, and the sharpest of swords. Can you guess what
the string was for? To unweave the puzzle that the labyrinth would
wind around him and find his way out safely. And the sword? To kill
the vicious Minotaur of course.
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Section 5 - The story of the labyrinth
So as they all tiptoed into the first cavernous passageway, Theseus
told the others to wait at the entrance, and off he went, with
his string and his sword. And sure enough, after several shrieks
and moans had been heard from within, Theseus reappeared,
clutching the thread that led him back to safety. In his other hand
hung the head of the Minotaur, heavy with spent fury.
The jubilant Athenians made their way quickly back to boat to
return to their city and tell the wonderful tale of their rescue. There
was a new member of the party though. The love-struck Ariadne
had made her escape to join her beloved, hurrying her belongings
into a parcel before dawn brought news of the night’s adventures
to her father.
However, not all stories are meant to end happily. What? You
thought that Theseus would remember to change the sail to the
white canvas of victory, and his father would greet him happily on
the beach, and then embrace his new daughter in law?
No, Theseus was not perfect. Not only did he grow bored of
Ariadne on the way home, leaving her on a sunny island to her
own fate, he also forgot to change the sail. So it was the black flag
of doom that flitted on the waves as the eager father awaited his
son’s safe return. Anguished by this sign of his son’s death, Aegeus
decided to follow him into the underworld, taking his life with his
own battle-weary sword.
Theseus returned to find himself applauded as the new King of
Athens. He might have gained a crown, but he had lost his father,
through his own absent-mindedness. He had solved the puzzle
of the labyrinth and killed the Minotaur, but many years later,
Theseus himself lay down to die as a sorry and regretful man.
(Did you notice the deliberate mistake?The Ancient Greek story
definitely includes a labyrinth, not a maze. But if it had been a true
labyrinth, Theseus would not have needed string to escape. Nobody
knows why this is.)
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Section 5 - The story of the labyrinth
Worksheet 9: illustration of Theseus and the Minotaur
• What can you see in this picture?
• How is it connected to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur?
• What do you think the people in the picture are thinking?
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Section 5 - The story of the labyrinth
Worksheet 10: questions and activities on the story
1. Which character do you like the most? Why?
2. What do you think was the most exciting part of the story? In
a group, create a freeze frame of this moment.
3. If you could ask the Minotaur three questions, what would
you ask?
4. Why do you think Theseus forgot to change the sail?
5. Ariadne thought of a clever way to help Theseus out of the
labyrinth. Can you think of any other ways he could have done
this?
6. The Minotaur is a typical Greek monster, because he is half
man and half bull. What other combinations of creatures would
be scary? What would their characters be like?
7. Can you think of some new describing words (adjectives) to
fill these gaps?
Minos also had another problem. The Gods had been weaving their
magic again, and his wife had given birth to a .............creature with the
head of a bull and the body of a man. This ..............being was terrifying
the people of Crete, who called him Minotaur, which meant ‘half man,
half bull’. Day after day they fled to the ..................corners of their houses
when they heard his ......................tread in the street.
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Section 6
A labyrinthine
journey

Section 6 - A labyrinthine journey
Suggested subject area: English EN3
This section explores the idea that a labyrinth is
similar to a journey through life. It includes two
extracts from poems to explore, and guidelines
for writing an original poem.
Activity One:
1. Read the two poems on worksheet 11. With
your teacher, discuss what you think they might
be about.
2. Discuss the following questions:
• Why does Lorca say that life is like a labyrinth?
• Why does he think life is not made up of
straight roads?
• Do you agree with him?
• Why does Thompson describe his mind as
having ‘labyrinthine waves’ (labyrinthine means
like a labyrinth)?
• Does your mind ever feel like this?
• Who do you think the ‘Him’ that Thompson
talks about could be?
• Why do you think he describes laughter as
‘running’?
• Does your laughter ‘run’ or does it bubble,
spurt or clank?
• What other verbs could you use to describe
your laughter?
• How do you think Thompson and Lorca feel?
Activity Two:
1. Listen to your teacher read the poems again.
Draw a picture showing your thoughts about
Lorca’s view of life and Thompson’s view of his
own mind.
2. Thompson thinks his mind is like a labyrinth.
Lorca thinks life is like a labyrinth.
What do you think your life and your mind are
like? Use the following examples to get you
thinking.
Life is like... a labyrinth
an avocado
a pen
a sea
...................
...................
My mind is like... a labyrinth
a cloud
a bowl of pasta
a window
.......................
.......................
Activity Three:
1. Once you have decided what you think your
mind or your life are like, write a short poem
describing it in more detail.
If you like, you can use this frame:
My mind is like ......................................
It feels ......................................................
To other people it seems ..................
But to me it is ........................................
2. Look at worksheet 12.
Why do you think Thompson’s poem has been
shown in the shape of a spiral?
Can you create a final version of your poem in a
shape that matches its subject?
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Section 6 - A labyrinthine journey
Worksheet 11: poems about labyrinths
‘Comprendo que no existe
El camino derecho
Solo un gran labertino
De encrucijadas multiples.’
‘I understand
That there are no straight paths,
Only a great labyrinth
Of many crossroads.’
Extract from ‘The Floating Bridges’, Federico García Lorca (1898- 1936)
‘I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter....’
Extract from ‘The Hound of Heaven’, Francis Thompson (1859-1907 )
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I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind; and in the midst of tears I hid from him, and under running laughter...I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind...
Section 6 - A labyrinthine journey
Worksheet 12: Writing a shape poem
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Section 7
How to make
a labyrinth

Section 7 - How to make a labyrinth
Suggested subject area: Design and Technology
This section is the culmination of all the previous
activities, in which the pupils can create their
own labyrinth. Three methods of making a
labyrinth are explained. If making a labyrinth as
a whole group is too difficult, finger labyrinths
can also be made individually following the
guidelines given below.
Labyrinth One:
As a class, you will create an actual labyrinth
pattern on the ground. You can either draw the
labyrinth pattern in chalk in the playground or
create an indoor one with masking tape.
You will need to plan the space that you use.
These proportions should work in a reasonably
large room, such as a gym, or in a playground,
if you have less space, alter the proportions
accordingly.
You should allow eight large paces/metres
in either direction for the labyrinth. Mark out
the centre point and create your central cross
measuring 2x2 paces or metres. If you are using
masking tape, you will need at least three rolls
of tape.
Once you have marked out the outline of the
labyrinth, the class can decorate it. You could:
• place important objects along the walls or at
the centre;
• write useful thoughts and ideas on sheets that
can be placed at turnings for walkers to read;
• place pens and paper at different points for
walkers to write down their thoughts;
• create a magical atmosphere using lighting,
music and setting rules, for example no talking/
shoes once you are in the labyrinth room;
• use it to give a school assembly on the work
you have done;
•invite other classes to walk it;
•make a timetable and book walking sessions.
Labyrinth Two:
If you don’t want to create an actual labyrinth
structure, you can recreate the experience by
making a labyrinthine treasure hunt.
You will use the whole classroom or even school
for this activity. Using posters or post it notes, lead
walkers on a trail around the school. After many
twists and turns they will end up at a centre point,
such as the main hall, or it could be a hidden area
that is not often visited, like an area under the
stairs. In the centre point you can place interesting
objects, or a large sheet of paper and a pen for
walkers to write their ideas and thoughts.
Labyrinth Three:
With this labyrinth, you can make your classroom
into a magical sense defying zone that other
classes can come to experience. Some possibilities
could be:
• assign different groups to the different senses
and create sensory zones with a difference, for
example, a rose bed filled with shoes and sports
equipment for visitors to smell, or an upside down
area where everyone must move through looking
down into mirrors;
• bring the outside inside. Think about how you
could, for example, turn your classroom into a
rainy day on the beach, or a sunny day on the High
Street. What sounds/objects/smells could you use
to recreate this experience for your visitors?
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Section 7 - How to make a labyrinth
Labyrinth Four:
How to make your own finger labyrinth:
You will need:
An A3 piece of card
A dark pen
A ruler
Scissors
Glue
Material of your choice to make the walls of the
labyrinth
Other pens/crayons to decorate the labyrinth.
5. Now you can decorate the labyrinth further
in any way you like. A common way to do this is
to write words or phrases that are important to
you inside, but you can use your imagination to
do it in any way you like.
6. Your labyrinth is now ready to be ‘walked’
with your fingers. Don’t forget to let your mind
relax and focus on something that is interesting
or important to you as you make your way to
the centre.
1. Copy the labyrinth design onto an A3 piece
of card. You can use the side of an old box if you
do not have ready-made cardboard. Start with
the + in the centre, making it 8cm x 8cm. Once
you have completed the labyrinth pattern, cut
around the circular edge. It should be roughly
the size of a dinner plate.
2. You are going to create the walls of the
labyrinth using materials that are interesting to
you. You can choose to use just one material,
but you can use as many as you like. Make a list
of all the materials you could find and would
like to use. Some examples might be: tissue, tin
foil, grass, sweet wrappers, orange peel, sand,
feathers, fabric, sequins. Try to use materials
you find interesting.
3. Estimate how much of your material you
will need to cover all the walls (the lines) of the
labyrinth. Now collect together the materials
and cut them into small pieces so that they can
be glued along the lines of the picture.
4. Start gluing your wall along a small section of
the labyrinth. Keep going in small sections until
the walls are completed.
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Section 8
Appendix

Section 8 - Appendix
Internet resources
Labyrinth websites
www.labyrinthsociety.org
www.labyrinthos.net
www.labyrinthuk.org
Interactive Labyrinths
www.yfc.co.uk/labyrinth/online.html#
This Christian labyrinth encourages you to think about the meaning
of life as you pass from stage to stage.
www.labyrinthsociety.org/flash/labyrinth.htm
Use your mouse to walk the labyrinth and choose what you would
like to find at the centre.
www.labyrinthonline.com/flash/cretan.swf
This labyrinth walk takes about fifteen minutes. You should use this
time to think about something important to you and concentrate
on it.
Ideas about Labyrinths
www.lessons4living.com/drawing.htm
www.labyrinth-enterprises.com/IdeaBookXP.pdf
Optical illusions
www.echalk.co.uk/amusements/OpticalIllusions/illusions.htm
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Section 8 - Appendix
Key Words
Consequence
Choice
Crete
Egypt
Greece
Labyrinth
Labyrinthine
Maze
Minotaur
Sacred
Senses
Spiritual
Synesthesia
Trust
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Section 8 - Appendix
National Curriculum links
Section 1: Art and Design- Investigating and
making art, craft and design
2. Pupils should be taught to:
a. investigate the possibilities of a range of
materials and processes;
b. try out tools and techniques and apply these
to materials and processes, including drawing
represent observations, ideas and feelings, and
design and make images and artefacts
investigating different kinds of art, craft and
design [for example, in the locality, in original
and reproduction form, during visits to
museums, galleries and sites, on the internet.
Section 2: English EN1- Group discussion and
interaction
3. To join in as members of a group, pupils
should be taught to:
a. take turns in speaking;
b relate their contributions to what has gone on
before;
c. take different views into account;
d. extend their ideas in the light of discussion
give reasons for opinions and actions.
Citizenship- Developing confidence and
responsibility and making the most of their
abilities
1. Pupils should be taught:
a. to recognise what they like and dislike, what is
fair and unfair, and what is right and wrong;
b. to share their opinions on things that matter
to them and explain their views;
c. to recognise, name and deal with their
feelings in a positive way;
d. to think about themselves, learn from their
experiences and recognise what they are good
at.
Section 3: English EN1-Group discussion and
interaction
3. To talk effectively as members of a group,
pupils should be taught to:
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a. make contributions relevant to the topic and take
turns in discussion;
c. qualify or justify what they think after listening to
others’ questions or accounts.
PSHE-Developing good relationships and respecting
the differences between people
4 c. To be aware of different types of relationship,
including marriage and those between friends and
families, and to develop the skills to be effective
in relationships.
Section 4: English EN1- Drama
4. To participate in a wide range of drama activities and
to evaluate their own and others’ contributions, pupils
should be taught to:
c. use dramatic techniques to explore characters and
issues [for example, hot seating, flashback].
Section 5: English EN2 Literature
4. To develop understanding and appreciation of literary
texts, pupils should be taught to:
h. respond imaginatively, drawing on the whole text and
other reading;
i. read stories, poems and plays aloud.
Section 6: English EN2 Understanding texts
2. Pupils should be taught to:
a. use inference and deduction;
b. look for meaning beyond the literal.
Section 7: Design and technology Working with tools,
equipment, materials and components to make
quality products
2. Pupils should be taught to:
a. select appropriate tools and techniques for making
their product;
b. suggest alternative ways of making their product, if
first attempts fail;
c. explore the sensory qualities of materials and how to
use materials and processes;
d. measure, mark out, cut and shape a range of materials,
and assemble, join and combine components and
materials accurately.
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Section 8 - Appendix
Acknowledgments
Images of the classical labyrinth
and the Chartes medieval labyrinth
reproduced with kind permission of
the The Labyrinth Society, P.O. Box 736,
Trumansburg, NY 14886.
Extracts from the National Curriculum
reproduced with the permission of
the Qualifications and Curriculum
Authority,3 Piccadilly, London W1J 8QA .
Extract from ‘Floating Bridges’ has been
reproduced with the kind permission of
La Fundación Federico García Lorca.
All other images used have been
acquired as royalty free images from
istockphoto, Morguefile and Wikipedia.
For further information about
the project and Scarlet Theatre
please contact:
Gráinne Byrne,
Director,
Scarlet Theatre,
Studio 4,
The Bull,
68 High Street,
Barnet,
EN5 5SJ.
Tel: 020 8441 9779
Fax: 020 8447 0075
e-mail: admin@scarlettheatre.co.uk
www.scarletheatre.co.uk
The story of Theseus and the Minotaur
has been retold by Isobel Simons.
All other content is the copyright of
Scarlet Theatre. All rights reserved.
This resource pack has been generously
funded by the Milly Apthorp Charitable
Trust.
This pack is written and designed by
Isobel Simons.
For further information please contact:
Isobel Simons,
Educational Resource Design
Tel: 07813201560
email: isobel@isobelsimons.co.uk
www.isobelsimons.co.uk
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