Thanks to our amazing drama teachers
The last 3 weeks have been extremely busy for me because I’ve been contracting all our teachers for next term. As you can imagine, with over 200 schools and currently 208 teachers working for Perform, this is no easy task. It also demands quite a lot of concentration, so the mince pies and gingerbread lattes have been helping with this too!
Because we now have quite a few schools, many people think that Perform is franchised like most other drama, dance and singing organisations. But we aren’t. Everything is centrally run and we are very specific about the sort of teacher who works for us – specifically, we only pick the fabulous sort. Which is why I actually really enjoy the contracting part of my job, because it means that I get to talk to them all. Read more »
Halloween Party fun and games
If you have a Halloween Party coming up then I’ve got some great interactive drama-based games for you to have fun with. Halloween has always been a highlight in my calendar and, at Perform, we are rushed off our feet in late October with our Magician’s Chamber drama, dance and singing party.
The Magician’s Chamber party features famous witch Lucia Magica training the children to become real witches and wizards by putting them through Wizard School. Their tasks include tongue-twisting spells, dancing The Broomstick Flick, flying off on a magical improvisation to save the world and lots more fun and lively games. Read more »
Serious Fun
I was chatting with a friend of mine today about her new job. She’s now a “Play Specialist” at a Central London Hospital. The role has many different responsibilities but her major focus is on using “play” to prepare children for treatment, distract them during procedures such as injections and help them to understand what they have experienced. Hence the title “Play Specialist”.
She says that sometimes she has only one hour to get to know a child before they have a major procedure and that the best way to get to know them is to simply start playing with them straight away. This enables her to make almost immediate decisions about their personality so she can work out how to support them in whatever they are about to go through. Read more »
Children and eye contact – helping your child look people in the eye
Darling, look at Jane when she says hello to you!
Does that sound familiar to you? Have you ever said it to your own child? I know I have!
I’ve always been passionate about helping children make eye contact, especially when they meet new people or talk to adults. I think it is such an important skill to have. You only have to do an internet search for “Looking people in the eye” and you’ll find hundreds of pages about how hard people find eye contact. There are forums and websites completely dedicated to the subject so it is obviously a big problem out there.
Closer to home, eye contact is something we get asked about frequently when we talk to parents whose children come to Perform. Looking into someone’s eyes when you talk to them demonstrates confidence and we all want our children to be confident and to show this to the outside world. Eye contact is crucial for good communication skills and, if taught early, it can be with you for life. Read more »
Are you confident when speaking in public?
Because of my background as an actress, I’ve always mixed with people who are pretty confident speaking on their own in front of large groups of people. It wasn’t until I started Perform and attended courses in Child Protection, First Aid and various other childcare-related subjects that I realised how many people find speaking in front of others frankly terrifying.
Yes, I realised that not everyone was the all singing-all dancing type like most of my friends, but it was still a bit of a shock to me that there were clever and articulate adults out there who were frightened to speak out on their own. We’d go around the circle asking for contributions and it was amazing how quietly people spoke. I remember one course when an attendee actually left half way through the session because she found it too intimidating. Read more »
Just Say No!
No, this blog post is not about the toe-curling anti-drugs eighties-fest that is the Grange Hill Just Say No video (though it’s worth having a look if you fancy a nostalgia-based giggle). It’s about a much more prevalent problem in primary school at least – bullying.
I was bullied a bit at school when I was a child. Not obviously and not aggressively. I never had lunch money taken but there were a few bigger girls in the class who picked on me by leaving me out of games and playdates and teased me because I was smaller than them. Read more »
Drama & Autistic Children
Before I start, I’d like to say that I’m not an expert in autism by any means. However, over the past 15 years, I have taught a great many children on the Autism Spectrum so I have seen firsthand how autistic children can benefit from the kind of games and exercises we do at Perform.
My first experience of working with a child with autism did not go smoothly – largely because the parents hadn’t told me he was autistic (something which is more common that you might expect). They desperately wanted him to do drama but were worried that I would not want to have him in the class after he had been judged as too disruptive by several other schools. Read more »
Fasten your seatbelts and…help!
Sorry for the slight hiatus. I’ve just come back from two wonderful weeks in Umbria and, a holiday being a change after all, my husband and I agreed a social media fast as well. Anyway, now that’s over,I can get on with gorging myself again – phew!
So holidays with children…can they really be called holidays? Certainly, the travelling part with my children can sometimes be…..well, challenging.
Before I went, the journalist Rosie Millard published a book called ‘Bonne Vacances: A Crazy Family Adventure in the French Territories’. Although I packed it in suitcase, I confess that I have still yet to read it (strangely the flight was not as good an good opportunity as I hoped…..) but I did see her interviewed about her trip and she struck me as a very brave woman! Her idea was to set out on a tour of the French Overseas Departments and Territories (the Dom-Toms ) with her husband and four young children to show the children it is possible to survive twelve weeks without Hannah Montana. During the interview she explained how they took very little with them, and her advice for in flight entertainment? Just a pad of paper and a pencil! I wish. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure my two little ones would not be kept entertained for a flight with so little.
I really love the idea of travelling light though I always seem weighed down with bags, duty free, books and magazines. So this time I was determined to pack smart but also be prepared with everything required to deal with whinges from the kids. Even if you’re only doing a short 2 1/2 hour flight, there’s still the journey to the airport, hanging around at the airport and possible delays, so I always feel much better if I am armed with various activities and little tricks up my sleeve. Read more »
Rainy days and Mondays
With half term approaching and the British weather being what it is, it’s always a good idea to be prepared and plan some activities to avoid finding yourself with a house full of grumpy bored faces.
So here are my top favourite ‘rainy day’ activities purloined from the Perform Book Of Brilliant Things To Do. Some of them might seem a bit sketchy but they’ve all been tried and tested and anyway the simplest ideas are often the best. Quite a few involve music so have an ipod/ CD player and a few different CDs to hand.
Potion Play
All children love playing with water and I’m sure that yours are no exception. This activity needs close supervision but can be a lot of fun and great for stimulating imaginations.
Tell your children that you are all going to be magicians who have to make up some magic potions. Get together some clear plastic tumblers, put them in a washing up bowl and put them on a table your children can sit at. First of all, you have to make sure that all the equipment is really clean so show them how to wash and dry everything up beautifully (also useful for the future!).
Now part-fill the tumblers with water and put a drop of different coloured food colouring (the stuff you use for icing cakes) in each. Now challenge them to make up different potions according to their own recipes. It’s amazing how much they love adding the different colours to see what happens. For every potion they create, they must give it a name and say what it is for. Read more »
How to Cheat at Bedtime Stories
I spend a lot of my day making up games for children, playing games with children and undertaking other fun and creative tasks in my work with Perform.
The trouble is that sometimes, after a long day at work, it’s hard to keep it up when entertaining my own children, Tom and Elizabeth (3 and 1).
Bad Mummy alert!
But I’m sure I’m not the only parent who struggles sometimes – right?
Take bedtime stories, for example. Now, I’m a big believer in these – they are a key part of the bedtime routine for my two; and while they love books , when it comes to bedtime, what they really want is a made-up story.
I know, I know – I’ve made something of a rod for my own back with that one! But, if all creativity has been used up at work, I often feel short on inspiration… So, rather than disappoint, I cheat :)
