Reflections
A Head Teacher’s Perspective
The process enables the whole school community and particularly children, to express themselves creatively. Creation Myth Puppets allow children to explore BIG questions and express themselves in a non-academic way.. The creative skills learnt include creative storytelling, creating three-dimensional puppets using a range of materials. Children learn to give voice to their inner self and consider some the biggest human conundrum the world faces such as how to respect each other and the planet we live on.
Their experience will enhance learning about religion, world cultures, history and philosophy. Creating a show with such ambition is one of the most liberating life experiences and can provide lasting benefits, especially to those children who may lack confidence.
Creation Myth Puppets can deliver something different for your school. Staff
benefits include developing creativity by releasing the constraints of every day medium and short-term planning, assessment and evaluation strategy. Working collaboratively as a whole school towards the shared goal, to create an organic pupil led performance will bring a huge sense of awe, wonder and pride. The experience for staff can have multiple therapeutic benefits, including increased morale, better team-working and enhanced confidence in developing divergent thinking. Following the experience and final show, benefits that you might start to notice amongst your school community include:
Increased Creativity – Once children learn how to work with their imagination, they never forget. Workshops and performance help to unlock the talent within every child and all this inventiveness has a huge influence on learning and teaching in schools!
Improved thinking skills children's natural curiosity has been stimulated and their search for search for meaning increased. It encourages intellectual thinking and encourages children to question and explore issues, concepts and ideas that are important and relevant to their lives, whatever stage of life they may be at.
Self belief and belief in power of community – There is full and complete emphasis on inclusion; all participants get the opportunity to learn new skills and new ways of working which will leave them with feeling enlightened, confident and inspired.
Improved Behaviour Choices – Through the dynamics of producing a puppet show, children develop self awareness and an understanding of the impact of their actions on others.
Enhanced Self-Confidence – Achievement in life is rooted in self-confidence.
The process from start to completion, focuses on interaction and helping participants discover the creativity that lies within them. Children develop higher expectations of themselves.
Collaboration and Teamwork– Children will get used to working with one another towards a specific shared goal. This skill can be transferred to the classroom.
Parents/Carers appreciation of school- parents will be amazed at the school’s ability to produce a World Class Show in a brief time span, they will be proud of their child and appreciative of this opportunity. They will be inspired to participate in creative activities with their children.
Reflections from a staff group.
Relating
Community -Making the puppets and making the show especially was a great coming together of the whole school community with everybody working together. It engendered a sense of belonging for the parents and wider family too.
Teambuilding -It gave the staff an experience outside of normal timetable to work creatively together and get to know each other better and how each other work.
Bonding – it helped to solidify the relationships between teachers and their classes at this early stage in the school year.
JOY
Pure Magic -The sense of achievement and the sheer joy and wonder at the finale of the performance was a great memory for everybody and a great shared memory for the school community. It’s an epic experience, bigger than a puppet show, there is more going on! It created a golden memory for the children. There was unadulterated happiness. “It was better than Christmas.”
Inclusivity
For Everybody – There are not many activities in school that everybody enjoys and that havesuch opportunities for learning on so many levels. It is rare to find an activity the includes the whole school, where everyone is doing the same thing together! It was inclusive; offering different opportunities for children to shine in different areas, and volunteering for roles that they might not in other situations in school. The screen particularly and working with puppets gave an opportunity for everyone to be able to perform without feeling shy or too exposed. – Some children had never performed before so there were new opportunities too.
CAN DO!
Structure – The structure of the workshops in bite sized chunks of simple instructions meant that the children stayed focused and on task. This allowed them to complete each step without getting overwhelmed and at the end they had created something that they may not have believed they would be able to do if they had seen an example. “This is a technique that I am now using.”
Atmosphere-The atmosphere in the room was relaxed and calm and as they worked on each stage there was less “i can’t do it” and more confidence in themselves and helping each other.
Confidence – Even the youngest children taking part were able to cut out their own fish without using templates. They can do more than you, and they think! They were all able to succeed.