This workshop day provides a compelling and memorable hook to immerse your class in a wide range of traditional tales.

The retelling of folk and fairy stories through the medium of puppetry engages the children's imagination.

Teachers can target many of the key objectives set out in the National Curriculum.

• Becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales.
• Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read and vocabulary.
• Listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently.

The workshops provide the ideal platform for further discussion, role play and for children to invent their own stories.

There are stories from India, China, England, Germany and Eastern Europe. Versions of some the stories occur in other cultures under a different name.

Below are many of the National Curriculum skills which can be enhanced through these workshops.

Year 1 Programme of Study:

Listening to and discussing a wide range of stories at a level beyond that at which they can read independently.

Becoming very familiar with key stories, fairy stories and traditional tales, retelling them and considering their particular characteristics.

Discussing the significance of the title and events.

Making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done.

Predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far.

Year 2 Programme of Study:

Listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently.

Becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales.

Recognising simple recurring literary language in stories and poetry.

Making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done.

Answering and asking questions.

Here are some of the wonderful puppet characters from our current shows.

Princess from The Feathers Of The Bird Venus a story from India.

Sir Humphrey from The Fish And The Ring a Yorkshire folk tale.

Sir John Lambton from The Lambton Worm a famous folk story from North East England.

Mr Clever Cloggs from The Soup Stone a tale from Eastern Europe.

The Pied Piper from The Pied Piper of Hamelin a story from Germany.

Witch and Fairy from The Three Wishes a classic fairy story.

Sprite, the tree spirit from The Trusting Peasant another classic tale.

The pirate from Why The Sea Is Salty a lovely children's story.

The Emperor in The Willow Pattern Story a well known fable from China.

The bad brother from The Stone Lion a moralistic folk tale.

Wolf from The Wolf And The Seven Little Lambs a story for younger children.