The Little Red Hen

The Little Red Hen is a much loved classic tale. The Little Red Hen lives in the farmyard. One day she finds some grains of wheat and decides to make some bread. But who will help her? Come and join in with the story of The Little Red Hen and lend a hand in making a most delicious loaf of bread!

The Little Red Hen is an intimate interactive storytelling piece suitable for 2-5 year olds and ideal for an audience of approximately 30 children. The performance is 35 minutes long and involves puppetry, storytelling, song and lots and lots of joining in!

The Little Red Hen performance links directly to all six of the Early Years Foundation Stage Learning and Development areas. The story allows children to discover how bread is made from planting and growing the wheat, to harvesting, threshing (separating the wheat grain from the chaff), grinding the grain into flour, adding water and yeast, kneeding the dough and baking in the oven. The Little Red Hen also introduces children to a traditional tale and asks them to reflect on the importance of helping and sharing. The interactive nature of the performance means that children are actively encouraged to participate and demonstrate speaking and listening skills, control and co-ordination and to draw on their creativity and imaginations. They are invited to help with grinding the wheat grain and kneeding the dough, to interact with simple puppets, to offer ideas and suggestions, to follow actions and instructions and to join in with counting and singing.

Videk's Shirt

Videk’s Shirt is a much loved traditional Slovenian children’s story by Fran Levstik. Videk is a small boy who is very friendly with all the animals in the countryside. One day the wind blows away his raggedy shirt. Videk is cold – who can help him? Come with Videk and his animal friends and learn how the sheep’s wool is made into a lovely new warm shirt.

Videk’s Shirt is an intimate interactive storytelling piece ideal for an audience of approximately 30 children. There are two versions of Videk’s Shirt available, one suitable for ages 2-5 and the other for Key Stage 1. The performance is 45 minutes long and involves puppetry, storytelling, song, music and lots and lots of joining in!

Videk’s Shirt explores how sheep’s wool can be made into a warm shirt through a process of brushing (carding), spinning, weaving and sewing, linking directly with the investigating materials component of the National Curriculum. The interactive nature of the performance also means that children are actively encouraged to participate and demonstrate speaking and listening skills, control and coordination and to draw on their creativity and imaginations. They are invited to feel the texture of the wool at different stages, to use, touch and interact with simple puppets, to offer ideas and suggestions, to follow actions and instructions, to join in with singing and, of course, to learn some Slovenian(!).

You can also book drama and/or puppet making workshops to accompany performances of The Little Red Hen and Videk’s Shirt and extend the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum skills and learning opportunities.

In addition we can supply an Education pack and/or INSET training giving you practical advice for storytelling, puppet making, drama activities and further ideas to complement the shows cross-curricular links.

If you would like The Little Red Hen or Videk's Shirt performances and/or workshops to come to you please contact us.