March 5, 2010
It’s an oldie but a goodie! Fruit Bowl is one of most simple and fun games that you can apply to almost any area of the curriculum.
Let’s use fruit as our example topic but you can use this game for any area of your curriculum:
1. Create a large circle of chairs with enough for all but one of your students to sit in.
2. Decide what items you will use for the game - let’s say everyone is endowed with one of the following: peach, apple, pear or plum. Therefore, in a group of 28 there will be 7 of each in the circle but it doesn’t matter if there are uneven numbers of items.
3. The person in the middle calls out a type of fruit - “peaches!” - and everyone who is a peach must move from their seat and try and sit in another seat. Of course there will always be one person left standing. Participants must move to a chair that is not their own or the chair beside them. This can get quite animated so keep an eye out for over zealous or risky behaviour.
4. The person in the middle may also call “fruit bowl!” at any time, which means that everyone must find a new seat.
You can mix this one up quite easily - endow everyone with foods of differing nutritional value (chips, apples, pies and spinach perhaps) so you can add “healthy foods!” and “unhealthy foods” to the possibilities.
Other ideas for subjects:
Literacy - Give everyone characters from a story such as Little Red Riding Hood such as Red, Wolf, Grandma and the Woodcutter. You can introduce physical actions that signify each character which can eventually replace the words so the game becomes more about non-verbal communication.
Numeracy - Give everyone numbers such as 2, 3, 4 and 7. You can call extra categories such as “evens”, “odds”, “primes” and “square roots”.
This is just the tip of the iceberg!
For further detailed ideas, book a Freshwater Drama or MFL INSET training session for your school and you will be given a toolbox of ideas to develop drama learning techniques in all areas of the curriculum.
Categories: Drama Activities
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 5:45 pm
February 26, 2010
We are holding an open MFL INSET training session from 5pm-6.30pm on Thursday 11th March for anyone who is interested in expanding their use of drama tools to bring language learning to life and developing their students’ skills and confidence in languages.
It is taking place in the Clerkenwell / Angel area of London. Please call us on 0844 800 2870 or email us if you want to find out more or snap up one of the last remaining places.
Categories: Freshwater Theatre Company News
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 12:26 am
February 16, 2010
We thought it might be some kind of alternative music festival, however NASA’s Sun-Earth Day celebrations are far from it!
For the past ten years, NASA has been coordinating education and public outreach events to highlight the importance of the Sun-Earth connection, with the aim of bringing the general public and the gigantic field of space closer together.
Having launched our cross-curricular Quest for… Space workshops this academic year, our interest has naturally been piqued by this highly inclusive effort to demystify and make the topic of space accessible for us all.
This year’s Sun-Earth Day focuses on electromagnetic force and magnetic storms - did you know that the Earth’s magnetic field is declining in strength by 5% every century? There are plenty of resources on their website, including loads of interesting facts about magnetism, podcasts, tips for amateur astronomers and even a Facebook group for those who are more likely to stare at a computer screen than into a telescope!
If you’re interested in having one of our Quest for… Space workshops, drop us an email or give us a call on 0844 800 2870.
Categories: Primary & Nursery Education News
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 1:25 pm
February 4, 2010
Did you know that the island of St Lucia is home to 170 000 people?
Or that a third of them live in the capital city of Castries? 
I didn’t but the facilitators who run our Caribbean Story and St Lucia, An Overseas Locality workshops did! They are also well aware that St Lucia’s Independence Day is fast approaching and takes place on 22nd February every year.
Every May, St Lucia holds their famous St Lucia Jazz Festival, which has featured some really exciting and high profile acts such as Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson and Al Green in the past. This year’s line up includes Maxi Priest and Foreigner.
While browsing the official Government of St Lucia website, we were very envious to see that the average temperature all year round is 25 degrees! The Freshwater team have decided that we should definitely pop over on a “research” expedition, preferably in the first week of May!
We offer drama workshops for students of all ages to help celebrate St Lucia’s Independence Day. Give us a call on 0844 800 2870 or email us for further information.
Categories: Primary & Nursery Education News
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 5:06 pm
January 29, 2010
There are 9 million people in the UK who are deaf or hearing impaired - that’s 15% of the entire population. For around 70,000 profoundly deaf people British Sign Language (BSL) is their first language and opens the door for fluent communication and equal access to the world around them. The only problem is that too few hearing people know how to communicate with it. BSL was recognised by the government as a language in its own right in 2003 and it has been proposed that it should be included in the curriculum alongside other modern foreign languages.
What are the benefits of introducing your students to BSL and learning some signs?
*Raising awareness, inclusion and understanding of the deaf community and BSL
*It is an expressive and beautiful language - great for improving presentation and communication skills
*Future career opportunities - there is currently a shortage of BSL interpreters in the UK
*Children might have deaf friends, family members or future work colleagues
*Supports many education initiatives such as Every Child Matters, citizenship and SEAL initiatives
From April 2010, we are excited to offer Leap into Sign Language to schools and other venues throughout London and the South East, presented as highly interactive small group workshops or to larger groups using storytelling techniques. Our specialist BSL facilitator will combine storytelling, poetry, songs and games with learning some basic BSL signs in this highly visual and expressive language. The fun activities will heighten your students’ awareness and improve their communication skills.
Call us on 0844 800 2870 or email us for further information.
Categories: Freshwater Theatre Company News
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 10:54 am
January 25, 2010
Did you know that the origins of World Book Day can be traced back to Catalonia over eighty years ago?
Or that most countries in the world actually mark it on April 23rd (St George’s Day) but in the UK and Ireland, it’s usually held it during the first week of March to fit in with school term dates?
You can find out more about the history of the day and how to access resources like book tokens on the World Book Day website.
If you’d like to inject some theatrics into your literacy celebrations, Freshwater is on hand with lots of exciting drama workshops.
What better way to learn about the Katie Morag stories than being whisked away to Struay in An Island Home or be transported back in time to explore the ancient stories of Beowulf, King Midas or The Prince and the Pauper?
Your students can take part in two of the most popular children’s stories in Rainbow Fish plus Where the Wild Things Are, or hear about a little girl and her fisherman grandfather in A Caribbean Story.
If that wasn’t enough, early years pupils can join in an adventure in the Early Years Story Hunts. As we are thespians, we couldn’t possibly let the occasion pass without a nod to one of the most famous Englishmen to put pen to paper - we have workshops available on many of Shakespeare’s plays including Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Phew! It looks like Thursday 4th March could be a very busy day…
To browse the full range of story based workshops we offer, please see the below links:
Story Workshops for KS1
Story Workshops for KS2
MFL Storytelling sessions - in French, German & Spanish
Or you can give us a call on 0844 800 2870 to find out more.
Categories: Freshwater Theatre Company News
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 4:29 pm
January 7, 2010
Freshwater Theatre Company are pleased to invite you to attend our ‘Teaching Modern Foreign Languages through Drama’ INSET workshop. It will take place on Thursday 11th March 2010 from 5:00pm – 6:30pm in Central London (reception and tea/coffee from 4.30pm).
Our MFL through Drama workshop will generate enthusiasm for using drama techniques in the classroom, an understanding of their potential for developing students’ MFL skills and the confidence to deliver them. You will leave with a toolbox of ideas to be used in your day-to-day language teaching, which can be applied to all areas of the curriculum.This practical session will cover:
· Dynamic and innovative tools to enliven language learning in the classroom
· Practical activities and approaches for teachers that encourage students to interact and actively engage with the language
· Ideas for using drama in MFL lessons, focusing on the development of confident speaking, good pronunciation and understanding the vocabulary of a language, whilst keeping the lesson fun and interactive
· Exercises that develop a physical and vocal memory of words, phrases and intonations
· Creative activities that elicit key vocabulary related to different topics
· Devising techniques that develop use of dialogue and narration
Places are limited and cost £30.
For more information, please contact the bookings team on 0844 800 2870 or email us.
“Haven’t had such fun in ages and can’t wait to share the ideas with the staff. It was so relaxed and a great way to get to know people. I can’t believe how many games we played in so short a time and I came away feeling really energised and happy.” Maureen Waters, CILT Regional Support Group, Surrey.
Categories: Freshwater Theatre Company News
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 3:32 pm
On 11th December our Edwardian school inspector, Clive, visited Goodmayes Primary School to help them celebrate their centenary. The teachers and students really made a fantastic, activity-packed day of it and also dressed up in period costume to give it that extra sense of role-play that we at Freshwater love so much.
Clive took the students through their morning prayers, highlighted the importance of the three Rs, demonstrated punishments for poor behaviour, taught them songs and discussed King Edward and his love of languages and the opening of the Olympics.
You can read coverage of the day in the Ilford Recorder.
“He gave them a good idea of what life was like in Edwardian times. It provided the right tone for the day and set the scene.” Goodmayes Primary School, Ilford.
Categories: Freshwater Theatre Company News
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 11:35 am
Freshwater Theatre Company has been delivering high quality workshops and shows to support the foundation and primary school curriculum for over twelve years.
We are looking for an intern to work in the office in East London for 2 days per week for a period of 3 months, or 3 days per week for a period of 2 months, to support the Project Development Officer and Operations Manager in research and development initiatives, as well as general administrative tasks.
You will be a motivated, resourceful, friendly and confident person who is very competent using MS Office, internet and email applications, and possess a working knowledge of social networking sites.
You will be responsible for a development project which will involve researching and identifying local funding streams, communicating with key contacts and submitting bids, if appropriate.
You will gain invaluable experience in the administration and operation of the theatre in education sector, a working understanding of our company and specific knowledge of the particular area/s you will be researching.
This role would suit someone who is looking to gain some concrete and very useful experience in arts administration and organisation and who can commit to two days per week for a period of approximately three months (specifics negotiable – as long as 140 hours are completed).
Please note that this role is office based and does not involve practical experience in leading workshops or acting in shows.
To apply, please forward the following materials to admin@freshwatertheatre.co.uk by 4pm on Friday 15th January:
Cover letter detailing why you would be right person for this position and what you will gain from the opportunity
CV (with names of at least two references and their relationship to you)
The position is due to start in late January.
Categories: Recruitment
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 11:06 am
November 30, 2009
Are you celebrating your centenary or exploring this early part of the 20th century? December will see the launch of our first Edwardian Assembly session - a completely new approach and format for Freshwater.
As a result, we’ve been doing some digging and discovered loads of interesting facts and events from this era, which - let’s be honest - had a hard act to follow in the Victorian era. Queen Victoria’s son, Edward VII, ruled from 1901-1910 but the Edwardian era is often regarded as lasting from the mid 1890s into World War One.
The period saw the rise of the Suffragette movement, the emergence of great writers and explorers such as Beatrix Potter and Robert Falcon Scott, however, most importantly (as far as we’re concerned!) the era saw the launch of Marmite, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and Typhoo. The Olympics were also held in London in 1908 - which leads conveniently into discussion about the London 2012 Olympics.
If you are interested in booking an Edwardian Assembly, email us or give us a call on 0844 800 2870.
Categories: Freshwater Theatre Company News
Posted by: Freshwater Theatre Company @ 5:14 pm
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