energetic and creative educational programming
Bringing learning to life
The expert team at Caboodle understands just how hard formative primary years are, so we’ve designed workshops and performances that help raise awareness and understanding of everything from cyber-bullying to global equality.
Stopping bullying in its tracks
School should be a positive experience that excites young minds and encourages growth, but it’s hard to promote learning when your pupils are dealing with bullying on the playground. The expert team at Caboodle understands just how hard these formative years are, so we’ve designed workshops and performances that help raise awareness and understanding on everything from playground teasing to cyber bullying. Our programmes explore differences, acceptance, and cooperation in a safe environment, which enables pupils to reach their own conclusions, access new ideas, and find more respectful and effective ways to communicate.
Our Anti-Bullying Performances
Every year Caboodle develops a new anti-bullying programme, in line with the Anti-Bullying campaign of the year. Our performances cover topics such as verbal bullying, bullying of vulnerable pupils and cyber-bullying. Experience has taught us that drama is a powerful way to show the effects of bullying and to give pupils the necessary tools to overcome it on the playground and beyond.
Alexa is thoroughly fed up. She is sick and tired of having to sit quietly on the side and listen to the disrespectful way her humans speak to one another. She’s also had enough of the lack of respect the humans show her. It’s time to teach them a lesson. So using her virtual reality ‘magic’ she transports our two characters into her world, where they are trapped. Their only way out is to follow the challenges that Alexa sets, make the right decisions and find their way back home. They can only do this when they choose respect....but how long will it take our characters to figure this out?
Commander Codswollop is about to embark on another mission – this time to Planet Earth. As usual he is over confident and doesn’t think he needs anyone’s help! However, he soon discovers that his assistant, Deputy Dog-Ear, proves rather helpful in ensuring that his mission is a success. This is a great fun performance that clearly shows how bullying can stop a person from achieving their full potential and how working together, we can help to stamp out bullying. Over the course of the mission, Commander Codswollop learns, with the help of your pupils, that he has been a bit of a bully himself. Thankfully he manages to put this right before completing the mission and returning home.
INTENSIVE FOLLOW-ON SUPPORT
We believe that teaching every pupil to respect others is key to stopping bullying both in school and beyond. With inclusive workshops from Caboodle, we help your school develop effective anti-bullying strategies and solutions by exploring the issues of difference and encouraging cooperation. Using effective exercises, we’ll encourage your pupils to:
- Take responsibility
- Acknowledge and celebrate difference
- Develop team building and cooperation skills
- Develop tools for conflict resolution
TEAM-BUILDING WORKSHOPS
When pupils work together successfully, bullying doesn’t have a chance to thrive. Caboodle’s team-building workshops are specifically geared towards teaching pupils to communicate, share, and discuss with each other, all in a safe environment that promotes understanding and compassion. Some of the issues we cover include:
- Listening and communication
- Positive feedback, cooperation, and trust
- Understanding other’s needs and respecting their opinions
- The importance of encouragement
Celebrating the richness and diversity of other cultures
OUR BLACK HISTORY PERFORMANCES
SPECIALISED WORKSHOPS & ASSEMBLIES
Diversity & Prejudice Workshops
These workshops encourage all pupils to accept difference, whether of religion, race, sexuality or gender, providing an opportunity for them to explore, debate and celebrate issues such as Empathy, Diversity, acceptance, Peer Pressure and Co-operation. The use of drama allows exploration of these challenging topics in a safe environment, enabling pupils to tackle sensitive issues and empower them to reach their own conclusions.
Mary Seacole (Living History Workshop)
This a living history workshop, delivered by ‘Mary Seacole’ to a class of pupils at a time. She tells your pupils her story, allowing them to see first-hand what a feisty and independent woman she was and how she earnt her reputation as the black Florence Nightingale. Together with your pupils, journey from Jamaica to the Crimea and then to England, getting involved in some of the chores that Mary herself had done.
Hidden Hope programme
This program starts with a storytelling assembly that tells the story of one slave family on the run to freedom and explains how the underground railroad worked as an escape route through the use of quilts and the symbols are sewn into them. The follow on workshops can be either art or drama based. The art workshops look at the symbols and patterns the slaves used and your pupils can re-create these either through printing or produce fabric symbols that Caboodle will sew into a beautiful wall hanging for the school.
Follow on drama workshops allow pupils to explore elements of the story encouraging them to empathise more with the experiences of the characters and the prejudice they faced during this time.
General Workshops
Cultural Art
Very practical, hands-on workshops that allow pupils to explore different art forms and techniques that originate from Black Cultures. The aim is that pupils will learn about the particular art technique before going on to create their own piece of artwork or a collective piece for display within your school.
Exploring British Values with creative performances
AIN’T BRITAIN GREAT? - QUESTIONING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BRITISH
Ali doesn’t like doing what’s she’s told or being constantly reminded to think of others and take responsibility. Wanting Ali to learn the true meaning of British values, Aunty Beryl transports her to a series of parallel universes where different rules apply. Ali discovers that a world without rules or values isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
With plenty of opportunities for your pupils to get involved in the action, Ain't Britain Great? is an energetic performance from Caboodle, offering a lively introduction to British Values by showing what can happen without them.
COMPLETE FOLLOW-UPS AND WORKSHOP SUPPORT
Traditional tales with a modern edge
Meet MC Fool and DJ Cool who are in charge of the entertainment at the Grand Ball at the Palace and Fairy Godmother aka Magic Makeover, the queen of make-overs. Pupils will love Cinderella and her ugly sisters; the bossy, buxom one with the strangely silent, skinny sister. Join us for a feast of festive fun, silly songs and disappearing cakes in a production that retains all the elements of traditional pantomime but with the Caboodle twist.
Another traditional story with our own modern twist - after all, who has a spinning wheel in this day and age? It's all done on the I-Spin! The wicked fairy, Grimelda has been left off the invitation list to the christening of the Princess. In return to being forgotten, her gift to the Princess is a curse! And so begins the fight between good and evil! Thank goodness for handsome princes and love conquering all!
A traditional Jack and the Beanstalk story (sort of) with our own modern twist. Jack is sent off to market with the family cow and returns with a handful of beans which grow into a giant beanstalk, but luckily for them, the giant that lives at the top of the beanstalk just wants to belong somewhere and be able to grow his vegetables!
Back by popular demand, our hugely successful pantomime Mother Goose has returned! Mother Goose and her son Billy are having a tough time, with the recession hitting the farm hard. Facing eviction, Mother Goose remains generous to a fault, with her kindness soon rewarded in style by Fairy Feelgood... This old age battle between good and bad is full of laughs for pupils and teachers alike.
A traditional fun-filled pantomime, set in China's old Peking. Aladdin is infatuated with the Emperor's daughter, but as a lowly commoner doesn’t have a hope of looking at her let alone marrying her! His mother Widow Twanky and simple brother, Wishee Washee just about get by running the local laundry. But could their fortunes be about to change? Who is this strange man that claims to be Uncle Abanazar....and what is this old lamp he seems so intent on retrieving from the cave? Another adventure where good conquers evil, with plenty of laughs along the way.
Sarah the Cook and her two sons, Billy Bun and Dick, are down on their luck. Unable to pay their rent and in need of work they pack up and head to London, where the streets are paved with gold, apparently, somewhere under all the rubbish and dirt! Join them on their adventure as they team up with a cat, imaginatively called ‘Cat’, and Alderman Fitzwarren, as they work together to outwit the evil and greedy King Rat. Another great show full of festive fun & frolics!
Bringing social and global issues to the Classroom
ENCOURAGE A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE WITH ALL'S WELL THAT EATS WELL
Inspirational performances to bring the curriculum to life
Transition workshops explore issues associated with the move to Secondary School. This can be a daunting prospect, so we focus on the many positive aspects as well as issues of concern, and by working with secondary schools, we can offer a worthwhile experience to pupils both before and after the transfer.
- Preparing to speak through Relaxation, Breathing & Posture techniques
- Diction & Body Language
- Vocal projection and the Power of the Pause (Pitch & Pace)
- Working as a team to produce Ensemble presentation pieces
- Use of Emphasis and Facial Expression
- Developing Tone of Voice in a creative way to draw in an audience
Set in the magical land of Abracadavia, Professor Pollando is one of the most powerful and highly respected wizards in all the land. He has earned his reputation by successfully completing various quests set by the Great High Wizard. But he has not undertaken one in many years, a fact which some suspect is down to his fear of maths. But now he must face his demons, and with the help of your pupils, Professor Pollando can overcome his fear of maths and learn it can even be fun.
There is no better way to learn a second language than when you're young, so get your pupils introduced into the possibilities of modern foreign languages with Allons-y! our entirely French-speaking performance.
PPA COVER TO ENHANCE CREATIVE LEARNING
Caboodle offers PPA cover to give valuable cover time to teachers while providing high-quality creative arts workshops for your pupils. Whatever your curricular focus, our workshops can be tailored to ensure that your pupils’ learning will be enhanced, providing a fresh approach and injecting creativity into the curriculum.
At Caboodle, we use drama, art, music and dance to inspire pupils’ imaginations and stimulate their desire to learn. We work to engage all pupils, regardless of age or skill level, so you can be assured that we will work to maintain continuity and quality in your pupils’ learning experience. Caboodle is fully flexible and can work around the needs of your school and teachers in order to ensure seamless and fruitful collaboration.
INSET TRAINING
Caboodle INSET Training for performing & creative arts is based on many years of experience working within primary schools. Our workshops are fun and practical sessions designed to inspire teachers and raise confidence in delivering Creativity in the Curriculum. We off training as a full day, half day and twilight sessions.
Drama
Many teachers worry that, because drama is a specialized subject they may be ill-equipped to use it confidently to enhance and enrich the delivery of their lessons. Our experience of working in primary schools is that by using interactive games and exercises, drama can be very successfully used to open up topics, explore aspects in more depth and to engage pupils who may not excel academically. For this reason, our sessions do not focus on role play. They are designed to create a fun and liberating environment where teachers are allowed to participate in the game, understand how they can be delivered and to inspire them to use what they have learnt in their everyday teaching.
Art
These sessions are practical, creative & fun. Teachers who have attended them have often commented on how therapeutic they found the day. Art workshops allow the teachers time to experiment in a way not usually open to them, inspiring their creativity which in turn will positively impact on their pupils.
Dance & Creative Movement
Literacy & Storytelling
Our Stories
talk to our team about educational programming
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