Walking Words Literacy Trail Created in Smithton
by Ebony Robson-Wells
New engaging sidewalk paintings have been added in Smithton between Gibson Street and the boat ramp on E Esplanade as part of the Walking Words Literacy Trail project created by 26Ten. Six sections of the interactive art project have been added in collaboration with the community, including two dog themed pieces outside of the Gibson Street dog park, and colourful fish outside of the Tasmanian Seafood fish factory. This project is part of a wider scale initiative by 26Ten to increase confidence and skills in literacy and numeracy within the wider Circular Head area.
The trail begins outside of the Gibson Street dog park, with colourful, jumbo sized paw prints. The prints are numbered from start to finish and offer passersby an opportunity to practise their numeracy skills, while also being physically active, jumping from paw to paw.
The pawprints lead directly to the next activity: “Find the Bones”, where the art invites participants to locate the 33 painted bones scattered along the path, which allows people to practise their counting.
The next activity in the series is a group of images painted onto the ground of things commonly found along the Duck River, such as ducks and flowers, which the participant is challenged to locate along their walk. The activity aims to aid forming connections between words and objects and leads directly into the next section of the trail: the bike track.
Attendees of Smithton High School or the public alike will find a new game painted along the bike track connecting Gibson and Davis Street, called “Spud Says”! The game's name combines the childhood game of “Simon Says” with the McCain Factory located directly next to the bike track. The game is run by potato characters who lead the player through a series of activities, such as “jump”, “dance”, and “spin”, while they venture down the path. The activity displays the painted renditions of activities alongside the written words. This offers people a chance to practise reading while having fun and being physical!
The next series of paintings in the trail is located outside of the Tasmanian Seafood factory along E Esplanade, composed of painted fish that cycle through the entire rainbow, from red to purple. The fish are labelled with their colour, offering people a chance to increase their colour word association.
The next set of paintings on the Walking Words Literacy Trail are located along the path to the boat ramp. Members of the public were welcome to come along and paint insects such as ladybugs and butterflies that lead up to a giant caterpillar, Collins who was created from recycled bowling balls. Collins serves as a fantastic temporary finish line to the trail and serves as a symbol of what a community can achieve by working together.
Future sections of the trail include a section devoted to working with Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation to share our local Marmanar language, and a section to share Auslan with the community.
Walking Words Literacy Trail certainly brings the people of Circular Head together, the making of the trail also encourages a lot of community involvement! Members of the community, including a group of preschool children and people simply walking by, were given the opportunity to help paint the many sections of the installation, including “Spud Says”, and give live feedback during the process.
The Trail has certainly gone above and beyond in its creation and has left members of the community excited to see what comes next.
“...the…Trail isn’t just about improving reading and writing skills; it’s about creating a space where everyone—regardless of age, background, or literacy level—can come together to learn in a fun, engaging, and supportive environment.” – Kate Grey, 26Ten
Thank you to UTAS student Ebony Robson-Wells for writing this story.
