Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2

Supporting the creative curriculum

Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2

Themed Inter-Active Storytelling & Drama

Our programmes are led by professional storytellers and drama facilitators, with expertise and experience at working with this age group.

Each programme is inter-active and child-focused, and planned with staff to meet The Every Child Matters agenda.

We place an emphasis on developing children’s emotional literacy and cognitive skills through enjoyable and stimulating dramatic play in a very structured context.

Our programmes include traditional, oral storytelling, combined with carefully structured dramatic play activities for children, often including singing and music-making.

Focused on accessible and popular topics, our inputs will stimulate creative learning, develop skills in listening, thinking & speaking, promote emotional literacy and offer accompanying practitioners practical ideas for creative follow up work.

 

ICE TRAP! – 2017

The extraordinary story of Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica in 1914

Tony Horitz brings to vivid, chilling life the awe-inspiring endurance displayed by Shackleton and his crew on their 2 year voyage to Antarctica and celebrates human capacity for survival against the odds. Drawing on Shackleton’s autobiography and the superb photographs of Frank Hurley, this adventure yarn includes attacks by vicious leopard seals, sailing a life-boat in stormy seas, gruesome descriptions of unappetising blubbery food, climbing a mountain with just a carpenter’s adze and the constant battle with the freezing wind and ice.

The audience doesn’t only listen – they join in with thrilling husky-racing on ice and joke-telling around the stove, to pass the long winter nights trapped in the ice.

“Great stuff. The children loved it“
(Junior School Teacher, Poole).

“You’re the best storyteller!“
(Junior School Pupil, Poole).

FOR YEAR 4 AND ABOVE. (8 year olds upwards)

ICE TRAP! lasts 60-90 minutes as preferred.

Space – 2013

A Mantle of the Expert programme, in which the key stimulus is a short film about Space Travel and Planets. This challenges children to research into space and apply to join a new space mission, where they meet a fictional scientist who steers them on an exciting learning adventure, involving creative work across the curriculum. This project enables teaching staff to set up a highly creative classroom, motivating young people to become engaged and active learners.

Originally made for Rushcombe Primary School, Corfe Mullen, Dorset.

History Drama Programmes

History Drama Programmes provide:

  • educational and colourful artefacts and costumes with dramatic storytelling to bring history to life
  • exciting opportunities to join in and make sense of history
  • ways of enriching curriculum work on History and creative speaking and listening
  • rich material for applied literacy work to be developed in the classroom
  • a chance to observe and assess your pupils’ individual and social skills during a structured project.

History Drama programmes last a minimum of one hour, or longer to suit your needs.

Programmes

Life in Ancient Egypt
Children meet a famous High Priest from Ancient Egyptian history, who tells them a traditional story of the pharaohs before enrolling them as trainee pyramid builders, solving problems and making important decisions. Schools can choose between Creation Myths of Osiris and Isis, to the story of the young prince Thutmose, who wandered into the desert and spoke to the Sphinx by the Pyramids of Giza in a dream.
The Romans are Coming! (Romans and Celts)
After exploring some Roman artefacts, children get to meet Julius Caesar, who shares some of his military strategies with them as well as giving them a training session in marching – whilst counting in Latin. They then hear an exciting story of how the Romans overcame the local Celts, with particular relevance to Dorset’s ancient Iron Age sites. Finally, they must decide what should happen to a captured chieftain.
Life in Ancient Greece
Children meet Enkales, a slave for a wealthy family in the 6th Century BC, The Golden Age of Athens. Enkales tells them about the different lives of boys and girls and of rich and poor in the city. As well as hot seating Enkales, children get to join in acting out scenes from school and home life. Alternatively, Enkales can tell the children some of Homer’s classic tales of Jason and the Argonauts, such as Cyclops the one eyed giant or the irresistible Sirens.
Viking Sagas
From an ancient, chest, come exciting artefacts that tell a classic tale of Viking courage. Children take a journey with Eric the Red, to overcome the most fearsome monsters! They will get to act out key moments from their adventure, to be a hero of old, as well as practising storytelling themselves.
An Audience with the Tudors
Children meet either Ann Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife, or Elizabeth I, her daughter. Apart from the chance to ask the queen questions about her life, they will practise bowing and curtseying, learn more about key events of the age and take part in a courtly dance.
Fire of London (Pour on Water!)
Learn about the terrible fire from the mouth of the great diarist Samuel Pepys himself, assisted by his servant.
Pirates Ahoy!
A fun-packed rollocking adventure on the high seas – joining in the adventures of local pirate Harry Paye and his gang. Children will learn how to scrub decks, hoist the yard arm and retrieve any men overboard (hopefully before the sharks get them). The team version of this includes lively and accessible songs and music performed live by a member of the cast.
Dorset Smugglers
A skilful blend of exciting drama and humour. Children are drawn into the dilemma of poor Dorset farm-workers of the 18th century – to work for next to no wages or to join the ‘free traders’, travelling to Dorset’s hidden beaches by night to bring in booty from France. They join in an exciting meeting in a barn before meeting Isaac Gulliver the famous Dorset smuggler, renowned for his crafty tricks to outwit the customs officers.
Life in the Victorian Age – Upstairs, Downstairs
Children become Victorian servants preparing for an important royal visit. They must learn a range of skills and work hard. But when Alice, one of the servants, falls ill, they are ordered by the butler to carry on regardless. What will they decide to do? Through the drama, children learn about the different values of the Victorian age and compare them with their own rights and responsibilities.

Cultural Diversity Programmes

Traditional Tales from India, Africa, Latin America, Australia – not forgetting Wales and Ireland.

We have special programmes, involving stories from each of these countries / continents, accompanied by authentic artefacts and instruments. Our Mexican programme includes the Aztec legend of the volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl and of how the gods finally gave chocolate to human beings.

Surya meets Sipho
Rights of the Child Workshops (drawing on a play by Sharon Muiruri A Child of the World)

This popular Citizenship programme is a modern story, dramatising the plight of child labourers and street children in India and Africa. Children watch a short introductory performance before taking part in drama activities to develop their understanding and knowledge about relevant global issues.

SEAL and Emotional Literacy through Drama Programmes

Singing Dog and Jealous Rabbit
A telling of this powerful South African story about mythical animals, offers a creative and safe way into exploring negative feelings, like anger, jealousy and breaking friends. After hearing the story, children are given roles as other animals to evaluate the bad behaviour of the jealous rabbit in the story. Finally, through forum theatre they work towards a positive solution of the problem. Teachers have used this programme as a way of tackling bullying in school at one remove.
That Hurts!
A Drama workshop exploring the causes and effect of bullying – and the damaging consequences for all concerned. Children are involved in speaking and listening, hot seating and forum theatre – most importantly, the workshops develops a sense of empathy and group co-operation to solve problems together.
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