'OTHER WORLDS'
A wonderful programme of interactive,hands on workshops designed to develop indoor and outdoor creative play within Early Years Settings (2 to 6 years). The work is led by Tanya, a multifaceted performing artist, who continues to enthral and inspire all kinds of audiences with her magical visual performances and hands on workshops.Using different materials and resources, Cusan Theatre creates stimulating environments rich in possibilities for the children to develop, explore, play, express and create.
Tanya is an inspirational artist and it has been a wonderful experience to work collaboratively with her to develop creativity through projects and celebrations at the children’s centre.
Tanya’s skilled story telling through use of visual aids and puppetry has taken children and their families on journeys to different worlds where their creative responses are unique, limitless, spontaneous and above all fun.
She is always enthusiastic with boundless energy, providing our children and families with a magical learning experience that they may not otherwise have had.
Kate Robinson, Children’s Centre Teacher at Meanwood Children’s Centre Leeds.
There are many possibilities, here are some examples:
Working with puppets
An intimate space is created, a space where the children and the artists are undisturbed and can therefore respond freely and unselfconsciously. By creating these environments the children are simply invited to be. The interaction is led by the child and there is no script or agenda. As a puppeteers our role is to watch, wait and then respond with the puppets depending on how the child initiates and reacts.
Creating Other Worlds
Using an array of different materials that range in colour, shape and texture, we transform an area of the classroom to develop a magical sensory experience.The resources include a collection of flowers, boxes with hidden windows, fairy lights, music, small toys and boxes with hidden treasures. This session is suitable for a whole class and the children are invited to discover, explore and experience another world of there own making and then tell stories about the things they find.
Spaces Within Natural Spaces
These sessions are designed to help children connect with the natural environment. The aim is to support their interaction with and appreciation of what nature has to offer and through this engagement encourage communication.We create communal outdoor spaces such as kitchens, places to sit and be social made from natural resources such as wood. We create spaces and focal points within the playground and develop these areas to bring them to life.We encourage and engage parents in the process by asking them to bring unwanted objects from home which can be used outside to create our ‘new world’.
These sessions can work indoor or outdoor.