Bloom Project: Playing with Theatre at Borough Road Nursery

As educators we recognise the importance of learning and collaboration and we are fortunate to be part of a very special creative collaboration with Hullabaloo, it’s artists, creative directors and the arts council.

You could say Borough Road Nursery School and Hullabaloo are neighbours, as we are practically next door.  Having such a wonderful theatre on our doorsteps means we have been fortunate enough to meet many of the talented artists who endeavour to enrich children’s cultural experiences through art.

Last year we embarked on a research Project for 3-4 Year Olds with Theatre Hullabaloo and York St John University led by Children's Theatre Director Lucy Cassidy as part of her PhD. As part of this project our 3–4-year-olds were invited to take part in playful and creative theatre workshops both at nursery and Theatre Hullabaloo. 

Lucy and her team of professional performers, dancers, musicians, set designers, etc worked with educators from the nursery to create a special ‘playful’ space (theatre) where the children could come together to explore objects, music, dance and stories.

Children were encouraged to be agents of their play; allowing them to make choices, have a voice, and influence the creative experiences on offer. Birth to 5 Matters Guidance (https://birthto5matters.org.uk/play/) emphasises the importance of play:

Key points:

• Children have a right to play.

• Play, both indoors and outdoors, makes a powerful contribution to children’s wellbeing, development and learning. 

• In play children can become deeply involved as they take things they already know and combine them in new ways so that their understanding deepens.

• Children choose to play, and are in charge of their play.

• Having freedom and time to play in an appropriately stimulating and resourced environment which is finely tuned for babies, toddlers and young children supports development and learning across all areas.

• Adults must have a deep understanding of how play of different types supports children to develop and learn, and be able to discuss this with parents.

Lucy and the team were keen to observe how children and adults want to be together in creative spaces, with a view to using their responses to devise a new Creative Play installation at Theatre Hullabaloo.

This installation will open in September and we are very much looking forward to seeing the installation and how it is received by young visitors.

Some of the Key Learning Outcomes

• A truly immersive, inclusive experience where all children were welcomed.

• Children could make their own decisions about how, and if, they joined in.  They could respond in a way that came natural to them.

• Children responded well to agreed rules, knowing they helped them to enjoy the creative experience safely. This in turn helped them to regulate their emotions more effectively as they waited to enter the theatre.

• Adult interactions were inspired by the children's sounds, gestures and movements, letting them take the lead.

• Adults, purposefully, used very little language within the space, yet children who found verbal communication a challenge were suddenly keen to initiate interaction sometimes through gestures and actions, but more often through words. They wanted to explain and share their ideas and encouraged adults to respond.

• Children's imagination was inspired as they found new ways to move and interact with the provocations on offer.

• Children with English as an Additional Language found the experience illuminating, increasing their confidence and ability to verbalise and share their newfound confidence with others.