Tiny T’s Theatre and Nature Based Play
The magical Tiny T’s storytellers and performers have hosted workshops, fairy picnics and brought along a Unicorn (yes, a Unicorn!) to Home Farm Glamping in Elstree. Here’s their story and why nature-based play is so important…
From the heart to Hertfordshire: Tiny T’s Theatre workshops
Tiny T's Theatre was founded by local professional actor, puppeteer and theatre-maker Tara Harris in 2017, with the mission to empower young people and adults to step out of the box in life and thinking creatively, with a view to living a happier and more fulfilled life.
Over the past few years Tiny T’s have built a team of freelance performers and theatre-makers to produce original family theatre and adapt these narratives into children's books. Their latest show, Spectacular, started at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, and since has been adapted into a Children's Picture Book, and reproduced into a family musical with life size puppets, performed in Covent Garden and The Dell's Open Air Theatre in Hitchin in 2021.
“Within everything we do at Tiny T’s Theatre we encourage ‘dress up’, believing that children should have the right to express themselves however they like when and wherever they like. This is part of why we want to bring fantasy and fictional characters into everything we do. If a Woodland Character can do it, so can you!”
Meet Tara, founder of Tiny T’s Theatre, and why she’s on a mission to bring some sparkle into your lives…
“For me, Children’s Theatre is just so special. As a performer, you are working triple as hard, but with that comes triple the adrenaline! It’s bringing magic to normal situations and letting yourself go and be a child all over again. I think we all need this sometimes when life gets a bit serious.”
Trained within the Musical Theatre industry for most of her childhood and career, Tara realised how rigid education can be and sought ways to invite play and imagination into the everyday.
Having always been enchanted with children's theatre and bringing objects, toys and puppets to life, she felt called to create a business that was based around the magic of imagination. Reading stories about adventure was the most exciting thing about growing up, because you could go and play outdoors and recreate those stories out in nature.
As mental health cases are constantly on the rise, particularly after the pandemic and even within children as young as 4 or 5, it's more important than ever to bring families together and encourage connection and creativity in every day life. With young people missing out culture and social interaction, the Tiny T workshops have been designed to capture the imagination of little’n’s and give them space to play and create.
“There are so many children that we teach that when given an imaginative exercise or creating characters they simply say, "I can't think of anything". This is purely down to being shown that they can be free in their thoughts and ideas. For a child, creating a character and/or story should be fun and easy, so within everything we do, we are always asking the children what they think and prompting every step of the way”.
Meet the Rainbow Fairies and other magical characters…
The Tiny T's Rainbow Fairies were created to celebrate diversity and different skills for children as young as 2 years to relate to. Whatever you have a talent in, whether it's science, art, baking, gardening... everybody has the right to be recognised and appreciated for that skill, for we all bring something magical to the world in our own unique way!
Eco-Crafts and protecting nature
Tiny T’s pride themselves in encouraging future generations to understand more about how we can engage in activities whilst 'protecting our woodland'. With sustainable living in the forefront of our minds, we it’s an exciting time for theatre and what we can create from another person's 'junk', or simply just donating and sharing old props and set, giving it a second life.
In the workshops the children will create puppets from things are usually thrown away, such as milk bottles and jars, and are taught how to make puppets from twigs and leaves. When you have to think outside of the box, the story becomes a lot more exciting! All of the workshops include eco-friendly crafting, using nature or recyclable materials to create beautiful creations.
Here are Tara’s top tips to create some magic at home…
1. Costume - this doesn't have to be high heels and a ballgown - just simply old hats, funky socks, jackets and waistcoats - the sillier the better! Putting on silly clothes will spark imagination and creative play, where then the child might feel they want to create a character and write a story, or even just draw a photo.
2. Objects and 'props' - Children LOVE going on a treasure hunt and finding objects around the house - we found this was our most popular activity when we were faced with Zoom Classes in 2020! Why not go on a treasure hunt, find 5 objects and create a story with them? What happens if you wear those boots? What happens if you rub the spoon 5 times? The imagination goes on!
3. Putting pen to paper - with LOADS of colour! I haven't met any child that doesn't love drawing or even colouring. Colouring is a great way to encourage expression and vocalise feelings, as well as getting really creative and writing a story through purely images. If your child struggles with drawing, perhaps start with templates that you can simply find on google. It's also important now more than ever when colouring and creating a character, to keep talking about diversity.
How about if you create a character that doesn't look just like you - maybe they live somewhere different across the world? It's exciting to learn about new cultures. Do you have any friends at school that celebrate different religions and cultures? If so, why not create a story about this too?
Love what Tiny T’s do? Here’s what the future has in store…
The Tiny T's Rainbow Fairies travel across the country throughout the year to bring joy, magic and hope to festivals and events. We also run a monthly online Rainbow Fairy Club for children across the country that can't be a part of our events in Hertfordshire!
Tara is in the process of creating a series of hardback books based on the Rainbow Fairy characters, inspired by Brambly Hedge and The Tales of Peter Rabbit. The first book of the series, 'The Tale of Rainbow Fairy Tara' is available now, with each book being released in colour order of each fairy and their talents. “These books show how each of us has our own anxieties and insecurities, but we all shine through in the end with our own unique diamond! Find out more on the Tiny T’s website.
