Workshops
Our in school workshops are a fun and creative way for students to explore the curriculum, and provide a high-quality creative learning experience for classes up to 30 students.
£475 for a half day – either 1 class for the half day or 2 hour long sessions.
£675 for a full day – either 1 class for the whole day or 2 classes for a half day.
Ready to book? Please see the booking form at the bottom of this page.
Early Years (EYFS)
Once Upon A Time
During this workshop we are going to take a step into the world of fairy tales! Each workshop involves a sensory play activity and a chance for younger students to sing and dance along with Little Angel puppets. These workshops are designed with a variety of EYFS ages in mind, with guided play for babies and craft activities for toddlers.
Time Needed: 1 hour per class
Age: Nursery and Pre-School
Brilliant Butterflies
Students will explore the fascinating world of nature with this creative sensory story and craft workshop. First students watch Bob the Caterpillar in his journey to becoming a beautiful butterfly, then have a go at making a flying butterfly puppet of their own. Students will then parade their creations in front of our natural scenery bringing the great outdoors into the classroom.
Time Needed: Half a day per class
Age: Reception, Year 1 and 2
Joyful Jellyfish
This workshop is about being green and focuses on using sustainable materials. Each child will use recycled materials to make their own tentacle to add to their class jellyfish. We discuss ways to be more sustainable: by reducing our waste, reusing what we can, and recycling what we can’t.
Time Needed: Half a day per class
Age: Reception and Year 1
KS1
Little Makers
This workshop is the perfect introduction to making for younger students who are beginning to develop their art and craft skills. The class will express creativity and imagination whilst practising fine motor skills and exploring different materials. Children will make their very own puppets under the guidance of our workshop leader. They will then start to think about bringing them to life with the magic of puppetry.
How does it link to the EYFS framework?
Expressive arts and design, creating with materials, being imaginative and expressive, fine motor skill development
Time Needed: Half a day per class
Age: Reception and Year 1
Table Top Puppets
Table Top puppets are extremely versatile. We can work with your class to design and make characters from a specific story, historical period or topic of your choice, and turn them into upright table top puppets. These fun and characterful puppets are great for performing with. Once the making is complete we will have plenty of time to start learning how to bring them to life, using the key principles of puppetry: breath, weight, and focus.
How does it link to the curriculum?
English – communication and language, D&T – materials
Time Needed: A full day per class
Age: Year 2 and 3
Mr Gobble’s Garden
After watching a short puppet film set in a world where everything is made from repurposed objects, the class will learn what is needed to care for the plants in Mr Gobble’s garden. With a focus on the science of life and growth, each student will craft a plant puppet and then learn how to perform with it.
How does it link to the curriculum?
Habitats – plants and animals, Relationships – friendship, respect and cooperation
Time Needed: Half a day per class
Age: Year 1, 2 and 3
KS2
Discover Scoop’s Space
We begin by watching a short film starring Scoop and Bertie. Scoop likes to reinvent things and give them new life – Bertie is one of her creations. Students learn about plastic bottles and examine the different materials used to make Bertie. Each student will then build their own Bertie-inspired puppet and learn how to perform with it.
How does it link to the curriculum?
Environmental Sustainability – recycling, environment, PSHE – citizenship, D&T – materials
Time Needed: Half a day per class
Age: Years 3, 4, 5 & 6
Shadow and Light
In this exciting KS2 workshop students will not only design and make their very own shadow puppets but use their creations to explore and learn about the science of shadow and light, exploring concepts and key terminology such as translucent, opaque and transparent through experimentation with different materials.
How does it link to the curriculum?
D&T – materials, Science – shadow and light
Time Needed: Half a day per class
Age: Year 3, 4, 5 & 6
Meet the Puppets
Students will meet some of the incredible puppets in Little Angel Theatre’s collection, find out how they work, what they are made from and how we make them. We can deliver this as part of a school assembly, or it can be combined with a tour of the theatre if you are coming to see a show. Available remotely via zoom or in person.
Time Needed: 1 hour. Can be added to other workshops
Age: This workshop can be adapted for any age group
KS4
An Introduction to Puppetry Performance
Aimed at total beginners, this is a crash course in puppeteering. Students will learn essential skills and techniques needed to bring objects alive with movement to express thought and emotion. Students will practice these new performance skills using puppets from Little Angel Theatre’s collection. Fantastic for students who are interested in performance and learning new ways to tell stories. A great way to introduce puppetry performance technique to students who may want to use it in their own performances in school productions.
How does it link to the curriculum?
English – spoken English, Drama – puppetry, performance, devising
Time Needed: Half a day per class
Introduction to Puppetry Design and Making
In this workshop for students in KS3 and up, we will learn about more advanced puppetry design and making skills. After meeting some puppets from Little Angel’s collection and investigating how they were crafted, we will create our very own humanoid puppets. We will explore and develop a range of skills, including sculpting and joining. Using a wide range of easy to get hold of materials, we will think about sustainability and how to creatively reuse items that would otherwise end up in landfills. We will also learn more about the physics of puppetry design and performance, thinking specifically about weight, joints, and range of movement. Fantastic for students who are interested in developing their design and fabrication skills to use in their own or school productions.
How does it link to the curriculum?
Art and DT – Design and Construction Techniques, Drama – Design for Stage
Time needed: A full day per class
Bespoke Workshops
We offer a variety of workshop packages throughout the year that respond to different seasonal events such as Anti-Bullying Week, World Book Day etc. Using puppetry, students are able to learn about issues and explore solutions with a degree of distance, allowing for honest exploration in a safe environment.
Whether you would like to make a specific type of puppet not listed above, work with us for one day, a whole academic year or anything in-between, we can provide puppetry workshops and residencies to suit you. If you have an idea in mind for a theme or event you would like us to create a bespoke workshop for please get in touch.
Please note: Prices are based on our standard workshops for a class of 30 children. If you have particular requests that require additional planning and preparation time, or for more than 30 children per group, additional fees may apply.
We are based in Islington. If our workshop leaders need to travel to you by train (beyond tube and London Overground reach) or if your school/venue is more than 15 minutes’ walk from the nearest tube/London Overground station (meaning we need to book a taxi to transport our workshop materials) then we may need to add travel expenses to the fee. We will agree this with you when you book.
Schools Workshops Enquiry Form
If you are interested in booking a workshop with us, please complete this enquiry form, giving as much detail about your group, location and requirements. The more information you can give us now, the more quickly we can check availability and confirm a booking with you, but please do not worry if you cannot answer all the questions, we are more than happy to have a chat to help you work out which workshop will be right for your group and you can request a call-back from one of our team on the form below. Please note: completing this form does not constitute a booking. Upon receipt of your completed enquiry form, a member of our team will be in touch by email or phone to discuss your enquiry.