Priory Lane Community School visit Australia for the day!

Shadow Puppetry has triumphed once again!  We spent a day with year fives of Priory Lane Community School, this week. The year are studying Australia as their classroom topic and approached Education at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, to help them embed their topic in a fun and engaging way for the end of term. 

Our shadow screen with its plush and swanky red velvet curtains.

We began the sessions with discussions about Australia; the types of animals we find there, the sort of sport and recreation people get up to in that continent and places people might visit if they go on holiday. 

Luckily, almost all of the answers featured in the story that had been written by 20-21's Education Officer.

Pupils began making their puppets. Wallaby and koala templates had been made, but children were also given the opportunity to create their own animals and story sections, too. 

The boys' table concentrating on their wallabies and making effective use of the card they'd been given

Teacher assistants were really getting into the spirit!

This table were excellent team payers, helping each other out at various stages! They should be proud!

Some of the wallaby mums and babies and koalas waiting to go on trees.

When all the puppets were made and ready. Demonstrations were given as to how we create scenery and different effects, using a light source and a variety of objects. 

The Education Officer acted as casting director and we all had a few practice runs of telling the story, while the pupils acted out their parts. 

Then the performance was ready to begin:

The Goodchilds took a holiday last year. They went to Australia on an aeroplane! 

When they got there, the Goodchilds got into the spirit of things! Mr Goodchild wore his Australia hat and Mrs Goodchild put on her sunglasses.

They really looked the part as they headed off to Bondi Beach, where they saw lots of surfers and took lots of selfies with their modern camera, with the glistening sea in the background. 

Next, they hopped on a bus tour to explore Australia’s wonderful places:

They drove through the TV set of Neighbours

They drove passed the Sydney Opera House

They drove passed the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Then they got off the bus at the Australian Outback. Where they saw:

A family of koalas in the trees.

A court of wallabies hopping in the distance.

A slippery snake.

Some creepy poisonous spiders.

And they met a big friendly kangaroo.
The Goodchilds made friends with this kangaroo, who convinced them to move to Australia forever. 

One oft he year five classes has learned the words to the song "Land Down Under" and even had dance movements for each of the lines. This was a really special treat for the staff at 20-21, so we decided to add this mini performance onto the end of our shadow play. 

It was an honour to have seen the children acting this song out again! 

Shadow Puppets remains our most popular workshop, because we are able to embed class topic, science, literacy, drama and a lot of fun! Here's some of the feedback from children:

"I enjoyed the shadow puppets and acting out the play and there was nothig that could be better!!" - Brooke, 10

"I thought it was amazing and I loved it." - Anna, 10

"It was good team work. I liked everything." - Jessica, 10

"Everything was amazing and fun. I really want to do it again!" - Callum, 10

"I abserlutely loved it, the scenes was really good and all the sound effects was really good. Everyone got a part and it was just great fun. I would definately reccomend it. It was totally worth it!" - Amy, 10

"I don't think I can say anything bad about it. Haley and Anya do a very good thing to make children happy and laugh. Thanks for coming" - Katy, 10

And some feedback from Mrs Dickens-McCreight, Class Teacher of Year 5s -"A very successful workshop which fully engaged the children. Akk children enjoyed the making and the producing of the shadow puppet workshop."

Crowle Primary's Seaside Shenanigans!

We've spent two days with 102 of Crowle Primary's finest pupils creating stories through shadow puppetry.

 

Reception, Year One and Year Two have all studied the seaside as their classroom topic and asked us to come along to join in the fun.

 

We decided to use shadow puppetry as a means to telling seaside tales and to embed further learning through creative activity and play.

 

Every pupil got the chance to make their very own moving shadow puppet. Because of the theme of the play, we each made a beautiful tortoise. The reception pupils named theirs and thought of the sort of jobs and hobbies they might have. This brought about some interesting ideas on what sort of jobs a tortoise was capable of under the sea!

Some of the girls had Princess tortoises, and ballerina ones, while the boys opted for professional runner tortoises and firemen. What a great way of getting children to think about characters in story telling!

Some of the classrooms had already had a practise with shadow and light and had made their own silhouettes, which we were very impressed with!

Once every child had finished their tortoise, we went on to work as one large production team, to create sets, props and further characters. All of these were made using black card on long rods, so make sure our puppeteer skills were effective.

Our Education Officer wrote a short story about the seaside for everyone to recreate using the props and puppets. Here is what we recreated:

Crowle Primary's Seaside Shenanigans

The Davidsons took a holiday last summer. They decided to go to the seaside. (Cue seagull noises expertly perfected by the pupils). Once at the beach, they changed into the swimming costumes and used their bucket and spade to make sandcastles.

 

When they'd filled the beach with sandcastles, they decided to go for a swim. But what would they find in the dark depths of Skegness beach? (Cue pantomime "oooos" from the audience).

 

 

The Davidsons found many interesting creatures. They swam passed a school of fish. 

 

 

They passed a group of crabs. 

 

 

They swam passed a beautiful tortoise that smiled and waved! 

 

 

Then, around the corner of some unusual coral, danger strikes! The Skegness SHARK! (Cue a well rehearsed Eastender's style "dum dum duuuum!")

The Davidsons swam for their lives before the shark could spot them!

 

 

Thank goodness they made it out of the waters! The Davidsons had to have fish and chips to calm their nerves! 

 

 

They were safe and sound and full of yummy seaside food! 

 

All of the children thoroughly enjoyed the day and some of the teachers got really involved, too!
Shadow puppetry is our most popular workshop, as we can embed any classroom topic, alongside science, literacy, craft and drama skills.

Here's what some of the children thought of their time with us in their school:

"I lovd it because  it was the best day of my life!" - Billy Year Two
"It was amazin" - Taylor Year Two
"I liket it wen the Sharck came. But they cudof been less noiseeer". - Jack Year Two
"It was the best show in the hole wide wold!" - Sammy-Jo Year Two


If you'd like to know more about how to book a workshop or what else we have on offer, please don't hesitate to get in touch: 01724 297070 or email education.2021@northlincs.gov.uk