Tikhtak

Toddlers in the world of Big and Small.

This morning as we were juggling children and getting ready for a trip to out I decided to set Zara up on the computer with a game on the Cbeebies website. Normally I have always struggled to find something that will keep her occupied...that was until today! I discovered "Big and Small" You enter their house and can click on various things which then let you interact with them. Painting, turning on a radio, but the best was a piano, where you could give  instruments to different characters who played them. You could also venture out in to the garden and explore there and go into an enchanted forest. Even I was getting into it! All Zara needed to do was move the mouse and right click, which after a matter of minutes she had mastered. I challenge any toddler not to get into this!!

Being real isn't easy in our culture!!

An Austrian millionaire has recently given away his fortune, as he has come to realise that his riches were actually making him miserable and he had forgotten the simple things in life. You can check out the article here. I was interested by this  as Mr Rabeder noticed how empty his relationships were and everyone seemed to be playing a role around him. Now I am not a millionaire by any means but I can really relate to this feeling. Today while drifting through wandsworth shopping centre I bumped into a young vibrant guy trying to get me to give money to the Red Cross. He made me feel like I was his best friend. Although we had a good chat together, when it was clear I would not sign and give my consent to money being drawn from my account he quickly ended the conversation and he gave me those vibes that he wanted me to move on. This kind of thing would definitely be put in room 101 if I got the chance. This annoying habit reminds me of something I once read in a book by John Drane called Mcdonaldisation of the Church. It talks about  how the church too has been affected by this problem and he likens going to church like going to a theme park. The Austrian Millionaire guy seems to express the same thing on his holiday "we were all just actors. The staff played the role of being friendly and the guests played the role of being important and nobody was real."

I hadn't realised how much this feature in our culture has affected me and I find I am more and more cynical of any group or organisation that sells itself in a slick way and promises great things.This is also proving quite a challenge as I continue to look for work and have to consider whether I want to be part of something like this....... It seems there is not a lot out there that has not been touched by this phenomenom!! 

"Down to Earth" goes to Donny

Today we took our environmental project to St Joseph's school in Doncaster. It was a bigger challenge for us as we worked with 100 children but we also had an extra workshop leader with the talented Amie B joining us. Today we performed to the parents of the children in the play, which made it extra special for those taking part. After the lunch break we worked with the children to brainstorm lots of things we could do to cut our energy output. These ideas were then put into phrases  like  "Don't be a fool, walk to school", which the children used in a finale rap for the performance. We now look forward to our next performance at Southwark Cathedral on 24th February. Check out the Scene Change blog for our latest reports and pics

"Down to Earth" opens in Macaulay School, Clapham

Today we took our new drama project about climate change to Macaulay school in Clapham. My colleague, Mike North and I worked with about 25 year 6 pupils for a day of workshops and finished  with a performance to the whole school. The play starts with children walking around representing two gangs or ideals. One focused on making money and serving their own needs, the other willing to make sacrifices and help others needs by making lifestyle changes. The point is that if we are to effectively tackle climate change then we cannot live by self serving ideals and we need to recognise that our actions matter and hold consequences for others in the world, as well as for the planet itself. One gang is singled out by an arbitrator who threatens  them, that he will take the planet from them unless they change their ways. He takes them on a journey to the industrial heartlands of China. Mike has done a great job on creating a red chinese  dragon, that the children operate in a line from the inside. During the scene the dragon changes colour from red to black from the intense pollution. The mean gang feel sorry for the chinese people, but don't see how they are implemented. That is until the arbitrator challenges them to see where their clothes are made and they realise they have been made in China. Finally they visit a Museum of endangered and extinct animals. The children recreate a Californian condor, an Indian Cobra and Fresh water Crocs. All are covered under white sheets. The final exhibit is then revealed and to their surprise humans are there. The arbitrator then gives a final challenge to the gang to change their ways and leaves them to decide. After a small debate they make the decision to no longer just live for themselves, but also for other people and the change their black head bands for white ones. I am sure as the tour progresses there will be a few changes and tweaks to the way we run the day and the performance, but today was a realisation of something we have worked towards quite intensely over the last few months. Pictures will follow and will be displayed on our scene change theatre blog. Also there is a clip of a sneak preview to how we create our King Cobra snake.